A Fighting Chance
by Jay Nice
Summary: Accused ten years after Prince Lloyd's kidnapping is Cole, leader of the Rebellion against tyrannical Garmadon. Upon almost getting caught, he runs into a commoner, Jay, who helps him evade capture. Kai, Ninjago-wide feared General of Garmadon's army, is ordered to capture him with a slave, Zane. Four worlds collide and they realize that together, they might have a fighting chance.
1. Chapter 1: Kidnapped

**A Ninjago AU, hope you like!**

A cry sounded through the palace halls. The woman caressing the tiny baby rocked her son in her arms, humming a lullaby. The boy, wisps of light-colored hair sticking up, could seemingly sense something wrong. Creases of stress lined his mother's face and her light blue eyes were darting around wildly. The only light in the hall at night were the torches, but even those provided very little light, much less warmth in the corridor. The baby let out a cry again and, exasperated, the woman placed her hand gently over his mouth. His tiny green eyes were wide in the dim light, but she had to keep moving. He was waiting for her. Clutching her son tightly, she bounded through the castle, the only sound her sandals clapping on the ground. Her royal robes were flying as she ran, her light brown hair as well. Soon, she found herself in the large outdoor courtyard of the castle. She scanned the area. Where was he?

Suddenly, she caught a flash of white. Sighing in relief, she trodded slowly across the grassy plain to where he sat under a tree. She couldn't help but notice how tattered his robes had become. She looked guiltily at her own for a moment, but quickly turned her gaze to him. "You came, Wu."

"Why would I not, Misako?" The man's head was adorned with a straw hat and a white beard was beginning from his chin.. His old eyes glittered in wisdom. "Or should I call you queen now?"

Misako couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. "Please, no. I haven't heard my real name since your brother made me his wife." She held out her son to him. "This is your nephew, Wu. His name is Lloyd."

Wu took the baby. He looked just like his father used to, with the slightest resemblance to his mother. "Will you tell me once more why you must give him to me?"

Misako felt tears form in her eyes. It was so heartbreaking, giving her one and only son to her brother-in-law. "Garmadon has too much power already," she started, talking about her husband. "I have seen prophecies that say that Lloyd will have as much power as your father. This such power is dangerous in the hands of Garmadon. He would take over the world! I…" Misako faltered, wiping the tears away, "… I must give Lloyd away, to save all of Ninjago, and the world."

"He would have a better life with you, Misako," the elderly man pointed out. "I was exiled when my brother became ruler. I'm not living with any luxuries whatsoever. Not to mention you are his mother."

"I don't care," Misako sniffed. "Anywhere's better than here."

"Alright." Wu stood up holding Lloyd and, crying, Misako hugged her old friend.

"Thank you." And she ran back into the palace.

She tried to wipe the wetness from her face as she took a deep breath. She stood in front of a large door, her husband's room. She burst through the double doors to her husband's private room. "They took Lloyd!" she cried out. Garmadon stirred in his bed and quickly jumped out. His skin was as black as coal and his eyes glowed an eerie red shade. This was the king of all Ninjago, Misako's husband, Wu's brother, and little Lloyd's father, Lord Garmadon. Misako lead him to her chambers to see the baby crib dressed in green silk sheets, but devoid of any baby boy. Beyond, a window was wide open, illuminating the room with light from the moon. Misako had prepared it all.

"How did this happen?!" Garmadon growled, his voice deep and slightly demonic. He looked around the entire quarters looking for his son.

"The rebels," Misako lied. "They ran in here and took my son." Just to add that extra little effect, the queen allowed tears to fall from her eyes. "They have to be stopped!"

Garmadon turned to his wife, a murderous look in his eyes. "They will all be killed!"

* * *

Cole looked all around him in the night, expecting a spy to be following him. But the area was clear. Cautiously, the dark-clad man lifted up a manhole cover in the street and climbed the rusty ladder down until his feet touched water mixed with other… substances. Breathing through his mouth only, Cole treaded down the cylindrical sewage system pipe. Finally, he reached his destination. A place where multiple pipes met, creating a large opening where already many people were gathered. Slaves, mostly, with the occasional commoner. When they all spotted Cole, the entire group let out a large sigh of relief.

"You made it!"

"We thought you were caught!"

"Don't scare us like that ever again!"

Cole smiled grimly. He had been... held up at his home for a little while. But it was nothing too serious. Clutching a piece of paper in his hand, Cole joined the group. Everyone hushed at once. "Thanks for being here," Cole started. "Garmadon's on our tails." Now frowning, Cole held up the paper to reveal a wanted poster with his face on it. "He knows for sure." Looking at his own wanted poster, he added, "Forty-two pieces of silver for the turning in of me. Heh, almost makes me want to turn myself in."

Despite his joke, few laughed. "I don't know how Garmadon figured out that I'm the leader of the rebels." Cole looked at the crowd before him. The slaves were more miserable than most, so none of them would rat Cole out. And Cole personally knew all the commoners. They were good people. But then there was the Samurai...

Cole spotted the man, his red and silver armor standing out in a crowd of gray and brown. He wore a helmet that totally covered his face and Cole could see the daggers and shurikens tucked into his belt. He was very mysterious; not one person knew his true identity. When Cole met him, he had introduced himself as X, a private assassin trying to do everything to take down Garmadon. That was three years ago. He hasn't been doing a good job.

"Why is Garmadon still hunting us down? His son was kidnapped ten whole years ago!" an older commoner pointed out. "And it wasn't even us!"

Cole nodded. He had been only fourteen when Prince Lloyd went missing, but had already been in the rebellion. It only took a few years for him to rise up as leader. Garmadon was the bane of their existence, swearing vengeance on the rebels for stealing his son, even though they didn't. Sighing, Cole remembered the leader before Garmadon. He was twelve then. No one knew his real name, but he was a very just and wise leader. But when he died, his eldest son, Garmadon, took his place. Cole heard rumor that Garmadon had a younger brother that was banished from the land, but this had never been proven for sure. So Cole hoped that maybe, just maybe, if they could take down Garmadon, his younger brother or his son, wherever he was, would become ruler. No one could be worse than Garmadon, right?

"I had to quit my job and move," Cole said. "I'm too easily recognized. I was late today because a man came knocking at my door, saying he knew Cole Brookstone lived there. Luckily, my wife, Anne, covered for me, saying that her husband was an accomplished carpenter and she was awaiting his arrival and had no time for nonsense." Cole smiled widely. "Boy, do I love that girl."

"But what do we do when you do get caught?" a slave whimpered.

"That'll never happen," Cole chuckled. "Garmadon only takes his butt of the throne for mealtime. He's too lazy to come after me."

"But forty-two pieces of silver is a lot!" a commoner shouted. "Many people would go great lengths to get you. That's more than I make in a year!"

"That's more than I've made my entire life!" a slave said sharply. "You're in big trouble, Cole."

"Enough talking about me," Cole said, realizing they had a point. But he would never admit that. He had to stay strong. He had to keep hope. If not for him and his family, for these guys. All the slaves risked execution for sneaking out of their master's house at nighttime. The commoners risked being hanged for rebelling Garmadon. He looked at his watch in the dark. "It's past midnight. You all should be getting back." Though his words were mostly directed at the slaves, all started leaving towards their homes. But one man remained.

X.

"You could stay with me," the mystery man suggested, his voice very robot-like through his helmet. "I have a bounty on my head too. I know what it's like."

"Nah, I couldn't ask that of you." Cole looked at his feet, as looking at the mask of the Samurai sent chills down his spine. "And I've got to get back to the wife. She'll be worried." With a sigh, he added, "As usual."

"Suit yourself." And with that, Samurai X walked down his path, leaving Cole alone.

Cole walked back through the drainage pipe and up the ladder. Once on the street, he rushed to the shadows made by torches. One reason he wore dark clothing, especially now. His house was just down the lane, where Anne would be waiting anxiously. Cole stayed in the dark and ran down, not affording to even touch the light.

But then the alarm went off.

Cole almost had a heart attack. He froze in his tracks as villagers ran out of their homes, muttering, "Who spotted him? Where'd he go?"

Figuring they were talking about him, Cole delved into the dark alleyway between two run-down houses. People were marching all around, freshly lit torches in their hands. Cole couldn't move. He couldn't be caught. Oh gosh, what did Anne think when she heard the siren?

"Come with me!" a voice hissed, and Cole whipped around to see a young man with brown hair and gleaming blue eyes. He didn't look like he wanted to capture Cole, but Cole did not oblige to his command. He looked around. He was stuck in an alley, mobs of angry villagers on one end, this man at the other end.

"Dude, I'm trying to help!" the man whispered. Without notice, he grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him through a small door into a house. Cole would have never noticed the door there; it blended in well with the stone face. The man closed the door behind them and said, "You're welcome."

"I..." Cole was confused. A man who didn't want the silver reward and was risking charges of treason by holding a criminal in his home? You don't find that everyday.

"You're an idiot for coming here," the man added, leaning against a wall in the house. "Everyone wants the reward." He squinted his eyes, looking straight at Cole's face. "Boy, whoever did the drawing on your wanted poster did a heck of a good job. They're almost identical!" With a grin, the man held out his hand for Cole to shake. "I'm Jay."

"And I'm not too keen on trusting a person I just met," Cole said, turning Jay's hand down.

Jay frowned. "I just saved your life. If you were turned in, Garmadon would chop your head off and use it as a trophy in his throne room. And you don't have to worry about me. I hate Garmadon, and I already have forty-two pieces of silver."

"Good to know." Cole looked down at his watch once again. It was almost one in the morning. "Look, I have to get home. My wife is going to be worried sick." He didn't dare say where he lived, just in case this man was out to get him. He may deny it, but you never know.

"I really thought you were smarter than that," Jay mused. "The street is crawling with people who want the reward. You set off what they like to call their 'Cole Call,' which means someone spotted you. We all have buttons in our homes." Jay motioned to the red button on his wall that had a black exclamation point painted on it. "Everyone's really excited to use it, for some reason. And, someone got the idea that whoever turned you in would share the reward with everyone in the neighborhood. Like that's gonna happen. These people are more greedy than a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow. You are staying here. And I've heard about what you've been doing every other night. I'm totally for it. Garmadon's reign has gone on for too long."

Boy, did he talk a lot. Cole knew there was no way he was convincing this man to let him go. He looked around him. Jay lived in a very small and simple house, much like his own. There was a kitchen, a dining room, a family room, a master bedroom, and a guest room. Cole reluctantly nodded and Jay smiled. "Great." He led Cole to the guest bedroom, which only held a bed and a dresser.

"I won't thank you until I'm sure I can trust you," Cole said grudgingly. But Jay only shrugged.

"I don't care. Just know that you can."

* * *

"No, no, no!" Kai bellowed. He gripped the handle of his sword tightly in fury and pointed the weapon straight at his trainee, who quivered in fear. "You wanted to be apart of my army, correct?" The small man nodded his head rapidly. "Then you must do exactly as I say, or my sword just might find its way into your chest!" Sighing, Kai turned to the straw dummy standing beside him. He aimed a flying kick at its chest and hit it square on. "That is how you disarm a rebel." The trainee nodded again, and Kai swung his sword through the dummy's head, straw flying everywhere, like their enemy's blood. "And _that_ is how you kill a rebel. I don't take any of this 'long drawn out duel' crap. We want to kill them swiftly. Now leave. You disgust me!"

The trainee ran away, dropping his own weapon in the process of doing so. Kai only grinned. As the commander of Garmadon's army, it was good that his soldiers feared him. They didn't need to think he's weak. Kai sheathed his golden sword and wiped the beads of sweat off his brow. Screaming at men was hard work.

With a glance at the time, Kai decided to turn in to his personal quarters, courtesy of Garmadon. All his soldiers were most likely fast asleep by now, except for the imbecile trainee. He would be having nightmares all night. When he walked into his own room, Kai removed the scabbard off his belt and tossed it, sword inside, to the floor. And then he flopped onto his bed. His room was quite simple; a bed, a dresser, and a desk. Not much, but just enough for a man who was out training every day. Kai accidentally let his gaze hover over his desk, upon which pieces of paper and a pencil laid. He covered his face in guilt. He knew he should write to her, he just... didn't know what to say.

_But she's my sister! _Kai thought. But he couldn't show any sign of softness. The day he walked into the post office with a letter for his little sister was the day he might as well hang himself. He needed to be feared, not laughed at. And his sister was always strong. He knew she could take care of herself. But along with that strength she was defiant. Kai's only fear was that one day she would go against the law and get herself killed.

Once again, Kai pushed the thought aside. _She was fine. She had to be._

_Right?_

**Yay, so there's chapter one! Zane will be introduced in the next chapter, which may come in a few weeks, or a month. I never know. But stay tuned for more!**


	2. Chapter 2: Caught

**Thanks for all the reviews! I love reviews...**

**As promised, I give you Zane!**

Zane ran down the hallway to the palace throne room. It was five in the morning and Zane normally started service at six, but for some reason Garmadon called him at this time. Zane usually spent his free time in the morning meditating and preparing himself for the tasks of the day. From fetching snacks to delivering messages, Zane did it all as Garmadon's personal servant. In Zane's opinion, his master was a tyrant. But he didn't dare say that, as execution would be the only response. Opinions were not allowed here, unless your opinion was that Garmadon shall reign as long as he can. But very few had that opinion.

Zane shook himself out of his thoughts as he entered the royal throne room. He felt sick every time he walked in it. The walls were pitch black and illuminating the large room was only transparent bulbs filled with the heinous substance of dark matter, which let out a faint glow. Zane knew that whoever let even the tip of their finger touch the stuff would be instantly be turned evil. "It can turn the purest of hearts to darkness," he recalled hearing Garmadon say, "so I suggest you never cross me."

In the very dim light, all Zane could see was the shadowy outline of his master, but his eyes glowed like miniature spotlights. Zane dropped to his knees and bowed his head, waiting for Garmadon to say something.

"Go fetch Kai. He and I have important business to discuss." There was never any, "Good morning, Zane!" or even a, "Please." Not that Zane expected those words to even cross his master's mind. With a, "Yes, Lord Garmadon," Zane left the throne room with pleasure. He had to carry out Garmadon's order, though he doubted General Kai would like it too much.

A long walk out of the palace to the training grounds of the army had Zane tired by the time he reached Kai's living quarters. But he was used to it. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. Zane heard a mumble, then a crash, then what sounded like a fire crackling, then silence. Zane managed a faint smile. What was the general doing in there?

Finally the door opened, revealing General Kai in his pyjamas. He looked extremely tired, though his amber eyes still shone with a sort of strength. His brown hair was sticking up all over the place, but Zane knew that was normal for him. When he processed that a slave was standing at his door, he growled, "What do you want, Frosty? I should have you executed for waking me up this early!"

"My deepest apologies, General," said Zane, bowing his head in respect. "What happened? I heard many noises."

Kai scowled. "None of your business."

"Well, Lord Garmadon ordered me to get you. He says he has business to discuss with you."

"Whatever. Tell him I'm too tired." And with that, Kai shut the door.

"That would not be advised!" Zane called through the door. "No matter how high up you are, Lord Garmadon is still above you."

"Fine," Kai groaned, his voice muffled through the door. "I'll get ready. You're dismissed."

Zane bowed, even though he knew Kai couldn't see him. It was instinct after serving in Garmadon's palace for six years. You respect all over you and obey Garmadon over all. It was a very unfair life, but it was life. But at least he could live in peace, not having to worry about being hunted down. But then again, he did have to worry about saying the wrong thing to his superiors. A wrong word or even being a second late to Garmadon would be the end of him.

* * *

_Nya..._

_Her dark eyes no longer filled with courage..._

_But with fear..._

_She clutched her neck and let out a wail of pain and anguish..._

_All his power,_

_and he could do nothing to help her._

_The light faded from her eyes_

_and she finally hung limply in the gallows..._

A loud knocking sound echoed throughout Kai's room, waking him up. Kai groaned, and rolled over in his bed. But he only fell to the floor with a loud thud. Still half asleep, Kai stood up and walked to the door, tripping over his sword in the process. With a sizzle, flames erupted from the golden sword, setting the scabbard on fire. Kai growled in exasperation as he stomped the flames out with his foot, which surprisingly didn't even singe his foot. Kai stumbled in weariness to the door to see one of the palace slaves waiting patiently at the door. "What do you want, Frosty?" he grunted, using the name that Kai made up for the quiet slave. "I should have you executed for waking me up this early!"

Zane dipped his head. "My deepest apologies, General." Kai smiled hearing his title. He was one of the most powerful people in the monarchy, under Garmadon of course. "What happened? I heard many noises."

"None of your business." Kai crossed his arms. Couldn't he just get on with it? Training didn't begin until seven, and he needed some real sleep. His whole night had been plagued by nightmares of his sister. As always.

"Well, Lord Garmadon ordered me to get you. He says he has business to discuss with you."

Kai rolled his eyes. Garmadon. "Whatever. Tell him I'm too tired." Kai slammed the door in the servant's face and turned to go back to bed. Sure, Garmadon could kill him at the flick of a wrist, but he would never. Kai was too valuable. If Kai died, one of his dimwitted soldiers, Dareth, would become commander. And everyone knew what a disaster that would be.

Kai laid down in his bed and closed his eyes, but from outside Zane yelled, "That would not be advised! No matter how high up you are, Lord Garmadon is still above you."

Kai groaned again. Frosty was not going to give up, was he? "Fine. I'll get ready. You're dismissed." There was a silence, then he heard the slave walk away. But Kai just sat in his bed. Why did Garmadon need him so early? What was so important? It must be very important, because Garmadon himself usually woke up late in the day. But Kai already knew the gist of what Garmadon had to talk to him about. It was something about the rebels taking his son.

Kai got up and stretched. He changed from his pyjamas to his uniform: a light red outfit with golden armor. Kai grabbed his burnt sheath and hooked it back onto his belt and placed his mystical golden sword inside. It had the weird quality to set on fire a random intervals, explaining the mishap when Kai woke up. Kai looked at his hair. It was fine.

The General walked out of his quarters and started running towards the palace entry, hoping a good run would wake him up. It didn't take long before he was inside, waiting outside of the throne room. He knocked on the large door, and Garmadon immediately said, "Enter."

Kai obliged, and tried not to flinch as he looked into his leader's menacing red eyes. "Yes, my lord?" Kai said, trying to hide the tiredness in his voice.

"Yesterday, Cole Brookstone was spotted in the nearby village of Jamonokai." Garmadon's stare sent a chill down Kai's spine, but he listened as Garmadon continued, "You know I need him destroyed. You must go and get him. Go to whatever means necessary to kill him, and any helping him evade capture."

Kai bowed his head. "It will be done."

Garmadon let out a low chuckle. "You must go with my personal servant, Zane Julien."

Kai's eyes widened. "Frosty? But he's just a slave! He can't do anything of use!"

"He is one of the smartest men in the country," Garmadon growled. "You are going with him. I have already informed him of this mission."

Kai sighed. "As you wish, I guess." And with that, he exited. Most would know not to take that kind of tone with Garmadon, but Kai didn't care. If he got killed, he got killed. So what?

Outside the throne room, Kai almost ran into Frosty. Zane smiled a little, but Kai just brushed him aside. "Your coming with me, you follow my rules," he said sternly. Gripping his golden weapon, he passed his hand over the top, making it erupt in flames. Kai had been working on this. He swung it around like attacking a rebel, then tossed it above his head. He jumped up, caught it, spun around in the air, then landed on what felt like a leather seat. Kai let out a cheer of victory. His weapon had been successfully transformed into a motorcycle,decorated with gold and red flaming designs. Zane looked at Kai in wonder, but he just said, "Get on, slave. We don't have all day."

Zane jumped on behind Kai, who winced as the underling touched him. Scowling, Kai willed the motorbike to go forward, and they were off.

* * *

Cole's eyes fluttered open and he rolled over, mumbling, "Anne?"

No answer.

Cole sat up in his bed and looked around. It took him a few moments to realize he was not in his bed, nor was he even in his house. Slowly, the events of the previous night re-entered his mind. Cole remembered Jay and all the weird commoner had done for him. Yawning, Cole walked out of the guest room to the kitchen where Jay was making something to eat. Usually Anne cooked for Cole, much to Cole's protest. Cole could cook, but Anne always told him not to. According to her, he couldn't cook.

"Morning," Jay mumbled through a pancake stuffed in his mouth. He was cooking bacon, the tantalizing odor filling the small house.

"I don't understand you," Cole murmured. "If I were you, I would turn me in!"

Jay turned to look at Cole, a smirk on his face. "I already told you. You can trust me with your life. And you need to totally do something. You can't run all your life."

Cole returned the optimistic man's smile with a grin of his own. "Yes I can." With a sudden gasp, he added, "I need to go home. _Now. _My wife is going to think I was caught! I can't have that happen. She's gonna freak!"

"Well, wise guy, why not just invite her here?"

"I don't know-" But Cole was cut off by the sound of a loud motor whirring outside. Jay's eyes widened. He hissed, "Hide!" then went to look out the window. All Cole saw was a flash of red and gold before he bounded to the guest room where he had slept. He heard Jay muttering to himself and his light footsteps indicated nervous pacing. A banging on the door echoed throughout the house and a voice boomed, "Where is Cole Brookstone?!"

Cole held his breath. This could be bad.

* * *

Jay opened the door to reveal a man wearing pure gold armor and brandishing a likewise sword. His eyes widened. It was General Kai. Behind him stood a man in all white robes, his blonde hair in an army cut. The way he seemed to have a great respect for General Kai gave Jay the impression that he was a slave.

"May I help you?" Jay asked politely, trying to sound as natural as possible.

"Where is he?" Kai growled. He looked at Jay, amber eyes glaring into blue. "Where is Cole Brookstone?"

"Not here," Jay said, shrugging nonchalantly.

With an ugly scowl, Kai pushed past Jay and began searching the entire house. Jay bit his lip, forcing himself not to shout out to Cole. Attempting to remain calm, he said in a loud voice, "You won't find him, Kai."

General Kai turned, fuming. "You dare address me by my first name, commoner?! That is punishable by death! Frosty, search for the fiend."

Jay panicked, looking around the house. Kai had an enchanted sword, and what did he have? Some nunchucks he found on an outing. _Well, they seem to be my only option! _Jay ran to the kitchen, where his bacon was fried to a crisp. He pulled open a drawer to find golden nunchucks, a faint light coming from them. Jay gripped them and swung them around in the air. Kai took a step back, but still advanced. Jay heard the electricity charging in the nunchucks and finally pointed them at Kai. A stream of electricity came out from the end and struck Kai straight in the chest. The General just fell to the ground, unconscious.

Jay gasped. He was hosting a criminal and he just assaulted a General! His shock was disrupted by a shout from the guest bedroom.

_Cole!_

**Hope you liked! That took me all morning to write...**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Anger

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

"Lloyd, please focus!"

Lloyd sighed. "I am, Dad!" The ten-year old boy readied his stance again, but his father attacked him from behind, making Lloyd land face down in the hot sand. He quickly jumped up, wiping the gritty sand from him. He shook his head, shaking the dirt from his blonde hair.

His father stood calmly in the sand, holding his bamboo staff in one hand. His long white beard was flowing slowly in the breeze and he looked upset. "I do not think you were," he pointed out. "That was one of the first things I taught you! Always watch your back."

Lloyd rubbed a sore spot on the back of his neck. "Sorry. I just had my mind somewhere else, that's all!"

His father looked around. They were in the middle of the Sea of Sand, an area of Ninjago not ruled by the evil ruler, Lord Garmadon. So they were free from the rule, but they were also in the middle of nowhere. Occasionally, Lloyd's dad would go into Ninjago City to buy things and whatnot, but their whole life was spent in the desert. But Lloyd was never allowed to go into the city, no matter how much he begged. Something about the city being too dangerous for a kid. But Lloyd knew it had something to do with Lord Garmadon. He had heard his dad muttering about his unfair laws and how he treated the citizens. His army was almost unbeatable, an infantry full of men and snake-man hybrids. For some reason his dad didn't think he was strong enough even though he had been training for who knows what since he was little.

"What could your mind be on?"

Lloyd's father's words snapped him out of his daydream. With a sigh, he replied, "Well, remember that comic series you got me? Star Fare?" The old man nodded, and Lloyd continued, "Well the last one came out today! It's for a limited time only! Where we last left off, intergalactic rebel Prince Donogan was surrounded by the Imperial Sludge. If I don't find out who makes it out alive, I'm gonna lose it!"

"I just recently went to the city," his dad said. "I don't need to go again, and you can't go into Ninjago."

Then Lloyd lost it. "Dad! I'm ten years old! I can handle anything that's our there." Demonstrating a perfect flying kick, he added, "See? I can fight anyone there! I know you don't want me going there because there's an evil ruler, yadda, yadda, yadda. Tell me exactly why I can't go there!"

Lloyd expected his dad to be mad at his sudden outburst, but his eyes were only filled with sympathy. "You're right, Lloyd. You're not a little kid anymore. You deserve to know everything. Come on inside." Lloyd gaped at his dad. He deserved to know everything? What's going on here? He followed his dad into the small trailer home that Lloyd had been raised in. His dad had said that it used to belong to an older couple, but they died about eleven years ago. Now it was their home.

Lloyd's dad motioned for his son to sit down at their table and he sat opposite. He offered Lloyd tea, but the blonde-haired kid refused. He wasn't as fond of the drink as his father was. He'd rather a nice piece of candy. "Now what was that all about?" Lloyd asked.

His dad sighed, then blatantly responded, "I am not your father, Lloyd."

Lloyd gasped. What?! This was worse than anything he could have ever imagined! The man who had raised him as his son wasn't really related to him?! "If you're not my father, then who…" Lloyd started.

"Lloyd, please wait. Anyway, you know the story of the first Spinjitzu master, how he created Ninjago and ruled over it as a fair and just leader. He had two sons. Lord Garmadon is the eldest and I, Wu, am the youngest." Lloyd gaped at this new piece of information. His dad, er, Wu had never told him that before. "Garmadon and I were the best of friends. But he had a darkness in his heart that could not be hidden. As he grew, so did that evil. When our father passed, Garmadon inherited the throne, being the older brother. Then he made his moves. He knew I would attempt to stop his intentions, so he banished me from Ninjago. He did all he could to strike fear in the hearts of his citizens. He built his army, even married our childhood friend, Misako. I was living out here, on my own. But after a while I was forgotten and it was safe for me to go into the city for short amounts of time. Months later, Misako became pregnant with her first child, her son."

Lloyd saw where this was going. "So you're saying the evil Lord Garmadon is my dad?! How?! I'm not evil!"

Wu looked pained, but he only continued. "Yes, Lloyd. You are the son of Lord Garmadon and Misako. Right after you were born, your mother saw a prophecy that said you would have as much power as the first Spinjitzu master. So, to protect you from using your power for evil, she gave you to me so I could raise you in the path of good." Wu had slight tears welling up in his eyes. "I may be merely your uncle, but I love you as a son."

Lloyd tried to find sympathy for the old guy, but he only found anger. "If you loved me so much, why did you not tell me this until now?! I thought you were my dad! I could have handled the truth."

"Lloyd, it was for your own protection. I promised your mother-"

"I don't care!" Lloyd snapped. "She obviously didn't want me, so she gave me away!"

"She couldn't stop crying that night. She was miserable, and most likely still is."

Lloyd couldn't believe it. His mother didn't love him. A loving mother would never give her son away, no matter the circumstances. In rage and confusion, the boy jumped up from his chair and ran out of the trailer. He ran towards the city. He heard his uncle calling after him, but he did not turn back nor stop.

He was never going back there.

* * *

Jay was freaking out. He had a criminal in his home, he electrocuted General Kai, and now he was facing death. Then Cole shouted from the guest bedroom. Jay ran to the room to find the wanted Cole standing against the wall furthest from General Kai's servant, who was just standing there. Cole looked like he was panicking, and Jay said to the servant, "Hey! Your master is out."

The slave looked at Jay with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. He looked at Jay as if he wanted permission to talk and the commoner quickly nodded his head. "Yeah, uh, you can say something."

"What do you mean 'He is out?'" the slave asked.

"Funny thing," Jay muttered. "He attacked me because I called him by his first name or something, so I merely defended myself. But he's unconscious now."

"You assaulted General Kai?" Cole gasped in amazement. "That's so dangerous! He's the best fighter in Ninjago!"

Jay shrugged. "He got electrocuted." Turning to the slave, he added, "And if you try to turn us in, the same will happen to you!" He felt bad for trying to scare the slave, but he couldn't let Cole get turned in. He promised. And Jay wasn't the kind of man to break a promise. Cole didn't seem to trust him too much, but Jay made it his mission to prove to the rebel that he was trustworthy.

The servant shook his head. "I will not turn you in. It would be my comrade who would like to do so. I believe what Cole Brookstone has been doing is for the better of all Ninjago. I would come to the meetings, but I am Lord Garmadon's personal slave. He is too unpredictable and I would surely get caught."

Jay was at a loss of words. This servant must have been holding that all in since he started working at the palace. Jay never knew that Garmadon's slave could be against Garmadon. But the again, who would want to serve another person their whole life? Much less Garmadon.

"We have to go," Cole finally said. "I can't stay here. Thanks for the help, Jay."

Jay put on a shocked face. "Uh, I'm a criminal now, you know. I just electrocuted General Kai! Oh, gosh. I'm gonna die now. I promised mom and dad before they died that I would never resort to a life of crime, but look at me now! My head will hang on General Kai's walls and mom and dad will be so disappointed! They'll-"

"Shut it!" Cole snapped, and Jay shut his mouth. He had the tendency to blab on about everything and anything when he was nervous. Just like his parents before they died over ten years ago.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to die!" Jay retorted, maybe a bit too loudly. "I just-"

"Huh?"

They all froze. That sound came from the kitchen, where Kai was. Jay gritted his teeth nervously while the slave went to the room where his master laid.

* * *

Zane stood anxiously over General Kai. His crimson clothing beneath his armor was singed badly and his hair looked a shade darker. He was starting to wake, his eyes slowly opening. When he spotted Zane, he murmured, "What happened, Frosty?"

"The criminals escaped," Zane lied, hoping it was convincing. He seldom lied, and he feared he wasn't good enough. "Cole Brookstone and the man who electrocuted you."

Kai stood up and rolled his shoulders. He glared into Zane's eyes and said, "You're a terrible liar, you know. Where are they?"

"Uh…" Zane looked around the small house. What should he say? He couldn't rat them out. They were doing things for the greater good! "I…"

"Looking for me?" Zane held his breath. Cole walked into the kitchen, arms crossed and eyes defiant. Kai stiffened and his usual frown crossed his face. But Cole did not look frightened at all. Instead he seemed to be smiling. Kai drew his sword, but he did not look threatening at all, still not fully recovered from his shock.

"You are dead." And with that, Kai's sword set ablaze, flames licking across the gold. Cole took a step back, but his boldness did not waver.

With a smirk, he only said, "No, you are." And a figure crashed through the window.

Zane watched intently as the giant robot-like creature slammed into the general. Cole only stood there smiling, but Kai was screaming as the mysterious figure pinned him to the ground. But then the struggle stopped. The Samurai, as Zane recognized it,stopped moving, yet Kai still attempted escape.

"Kai?" the Samurai asked, his voice deep and robotic past recognition.

Kai froze. "What are you, and how do you know my name?!"

Tension was building in the room as the Samurai climbed out of his robotic exo-suit. He was then only the size of a man. But when he took off his helmet, what followed shocked them all.

The Samurai, the one who was wanted possibly more than Cole for numerous reasons, was a girl.

But Kai only stared as he gasped, "Nya!"

**Yay, Nya and Kai meet. I felt so bad for Sensei and Lloyd as I wrote this chappie, but who cares! It's a fanfic.**

**Please review! Reviews make me update faster!**


	4. Chapter 4: Found

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

Wu was depressed. He thought he would clear up everything, make Lloyd understand why he couldn't go into Ninjago. But he had only made matters worse. His young nephew had run off, in the clear direction of Ninjago City. But instead of chasing after him, Wu merely sat down to meditate. It wouldn't take Lloyd long to reach Ninjago, especially if he ran full speed the entire way. It didn't give the old man much time to think, but he had to. If he didn't, Lloyd's life may be at stake. Wu sat in front of two burning sticks of incense that created a smoke. Spirit smoke. The spirit smoke allowed a person to see glimpses into the future, but only glimpses. Breathing in the possibly hazardous fumes, a vision appeared before Wu's eyes. He saw Lloyd in the city, and he was surrounded by four young men. They all had a determined look in their eyes, as if they were protecting Lloyd from an unseen evil. Suddenly, Wu saw his brother, now looking like a mutant lizard, then a dragon, then...

The vision dissipated from Wu's view.

He was very upset. What happened there? Why could Wu see no more? Who were the young men? Why was Garmadon a dragon? So many questions were presented with the use of the spirit smoke, and very few were answered. All Wu understood was that he had to Find Lloyd before it was too late.

* * *

Lloyd wasn't crying.

He wasn't!

Okay, maybe a little.

But only because he got sand in his eyes. Well, and because he was lied to by his uncle for his whole life. A relative most would think one could trust. But not in Lloyd's family. His dad was the evil lord of Ninjago, his mom didn't want him, and his uncle was a fat liar. In his opinion, Lloyd had the most messed up family ever. Was there anymore horrible family members he didn't know about?

Before Lloyd knew it, he was in the city. He looked behind him, and the Sea of Sand seemed long gone. Now, he was surrounded by more buildings pushed together than Lloyd thought possible. Caught up in the amazement, Lloyd almost forgot about his uncle lying to him. Almost.

Lloyd walked, still gazing all around in wonder. Why did his uncle not want him coming here? This place was amazing! So amazing that Lloyd lost track of where he was and ran into a person.

"Oh, sorry," Lloyd said, helping the man pick up the books he had dropped.

"Watch where you're going, squirt!" the man retorted. Lloyd immediately backed away, wishing he had never helped him. What was his problem?

Lloyd decided to watch his steps. By the time he was deep into the city, Lloyd realized that he didn't know where he was heading. _The comic shop!_ he thought. That's right. Comics had started the whole feud with his uncle. Looking around, he walked up to a man with a scruffy brown beard who seemed to be advertising something. "Excuse me," Lloyd asked. "Do you know where the comic shop is?"

The man smiled and exclaimed, "Finally! A customer! Right this way!"

Lloyd obediently followed the man into the shop they were standing outside. A large banner read, "Ninjago Doomsday Comix." Lloyd had never seen so many comics in his life! The whole shop was filled with them, along with some authentic action figures from the popular comics.

"Welcome to Doomsday Comix," the man said excitedly as he sat behind his large wooden desk. "My name is Rufus McCallister, but most people call me Mother Doomsday. I have every comic series with every issue. From Daffy Dale to the hit Blinding Flash series. I have it all, and any figurines to go along with it. So tell me, what comic are you after? 'Cause I have them all."

Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Do you have the latest issue of Star Fare? It's the only one in the series I don't have."

Mother Doomsday nodded his head happily. "Of course I do! I'm a Star Fare fanatic! I have my own issue at my house, in a glass case. My wife says it's a waste of space, but who cares! Star Fare is the best comic series in all of Ninjago!"

"I know!" Lloyd met Mother Doomsday's excitement. Finally someone understood him! When he tried to talk about Star Fare with his uncle, he wouldn't listen and tell him to focus on what's important. "Prince Donogan is my idol! He's so awesome! I love it when he says, 'Fear? Fear is not a word from where I come from!'"

"Totally!" Mother Doomsday exited his desk and ran through the store until he arrived at the aisle dedicated to Star Fare. Lloyd stared, mouth agape. There was so many! There was an extremely realistic action figure of Prince Donogan with his light blade, and a plush figure of the Imperial Sludge.

"Where have you been all my life?" Lloyd gasped.

Mother Doomsday nodded his head happily, a cooky grin plastered on his face. "Take whatever you want, kid. You don't have to pay. I've never met a Star Fare fan like you. Honestly, kid, you've touched my heart."

Lloyd grabbed a final edition of Star Fare, along with a Prince Donogan figurine and ecstatically said, "Thanks, Mother Doomsday! This means the world to me!"

"Don't mention it." Mother Doomsday reached out his hand, and Lloyd happily shook it. "By the way, what's your name, kid?"

"It's Lloyd." The young boy grinned, but the smile of Mother Doomsday's face faded.

"Did you say Lloyd?" When Lloyd nodded, he added, "How old are you?"

"Ten years old, but I'm not too old for comics or anything-"

Mother Doomsday suddenly appeared shocked. He grabbed Lloyd by the arm and unexpectedly ran out of his store and to the middle road. With a crazed look in his eyes, he yelled, "I found Prince Lloyd!"

The chatter of voices and sounds of shop bells ringing stopped abruptly. Everyone stared, making Lloyd's face turn red. What happened? Did he say something? And _Prince _Lloyd?

"Well what are you waiting for, McCallister?" a man called out from the crowd. "If it really is him, take him to the palace!" The crowed cheered in agreement.

Mother Doomsday pulled Lloyd out of the road and shoved the young boy in the backseat of his car. He climbed into the driver's seat and said, "Hang on, Prince Lloyd. I might go over the speed limit just a bit. Your mother and father will want to see you. Not to mention I'll get paid handsomely."

* * *

_My life is so freaking stupid._

_All I have to do is catch a criminal, but my little sister stops me._

_My slave is lying to me._

_And Garmadon is going to kill me._

Kai looked up at Nya in unending surprise. She was the wanted Samurai? She was a criminal Kai was trained to destroy? She was helping the fiend Cole Brookstone?

"Thanks, X," Cole said, though he looked shocked. He probably didn't know she was a girl either. She only grinned slyly at everyones' faces. Zane showed no expression in his face, as usual, but the man who had electrocuted Kai smiled faintly as he stared at Nya.

Kai tried to push himself up, but he felt a searing pain in his right arm. Growling in frustration, he tried moving the limb, but only got the same burning sensation. Nya must have broken it when she slammed into him. But when he spoke to his little sister, no words of his anger came out, but only, "Nya, how...?"

But instead of getting a sweet reply like Kai was expecting, the Samurai only snapped, "Be quiet, Kai."

Kai almost laughed. This was his sister, two whole years younger than him, ordering him around like he was a slave? He was Kai, leader of Garmadon's army! She was Samurai X, one of Ninjago's most wanted criminals for supposed acts of treason! She had no right.

Kai was about to order Zane to help him up, but then the man who almost killed him walked over and let out a hearty laugh at the sight of the mighty General Kai on the ground, helpless.

"Not so tough now, are you, _Kai?_" he taunted. Kai was burning in fury and embarrassment. No _commoner _should be calling him by his first name only. Kai was about to kick the guy where no guy wants to be kicked, but instead the man reached out his hand. Confused, Kai hesitated to take it. Was he helping him? Seeing the general's pause, the man rolled his eyes. "Do you want help up or not?"

Kai took the man's hand with his good arm and he was helped into a standing position. All eyes in the room suddenly laid on him. Nya, who was murmuring softly to Cole, stopped her conversation and walked over to Kai and embraced him in a big hug, almost throwing him back.

"I missed you," she whispered, burying her face into his chest.

"Yeah, me too." Kai was tempted to push her away, but he didn't want to ruin this moment. As much as he missed her, she was his enemy this whole time. "Uh, Nya? I think you broke my arm."

Nya let out a giggle that sounded like bells ringing. A laugh Kai hadn't heard for five years now. She unwrapped her arms from her brother and said, "Sorry, Kai." She took a look at the arm, then continued, "Don't worry, your shoulder is only out of socket. I would never do anything to hurt anyone seriously."

"But what about Lord Garmadon?" Kai asked, looking at his sister accusingly.

Nya averted her gaze. "He's different, Kai. He needs to die."

"Yeah!" the weird man who had helped Kai stand chimed in. "He's the worst person who ever lived!"

Kai gritted his teeth. "I swear, if my sword arm wasn't injured, I would clobber you."

"Your welcome," the guy murmured.

"Kai, stop being so mean!" Nya smiled, then added, "I was going to fix your arm, but now I think I've decided against it."

"Not funny."

"Fine." Nya grabbed his arm gently and yanked it in an upward direction. Kai almost (_almost_) cried out in pain, but when his sister let go he found that he could move his arm again. It still hurt, but not as badly as before.

"Now for you, commoner." Kai grabbed his sword, which was laying on the ground. Once his hand touched the golden hilt, the blade erupted in flames. The man didn't look worried. When Kai aimed the sword for his adversary's chest, his shoulder screamed in pain, making the sword fall from the General's hand.

"Once an idiot, always an idiot," Nya muttered, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Oh, shut it." Kai rubbed his shoulder, which was throbbing now. He looked at the commoner and said, "But you will get it one day."

Kai saw him roll his eyes, Cole doing likewise.

"Kai, you need to forget about Garmadon," Nya insisted. "What has he ever done for you?"

"Well, he gives me food, a place to lay my head after a hard day of training, and slaves to use whenever I want," Kai said. But as he said it, it didn't sound like much. It's not like Garmadon ever praised him or payed him. In fact, Kai did all the work for the ruler.

"Whatever you think, his reign must come to an end," Cole piped in. He looked nervously at Nya for a moment, but she nodded and he continued, "I've been building a Rebellion against him and I'm sure there's more people who detest Garmadon that could help us. X... er, Nya and I are going to take him down."

"Nya, you can't!" Kai almost yelled. When Nya looked at him funnily, he said in a low voice, "You'll get killed. And I promised myself I would never let you die."

"Then you have to help us." Nya batted her eyelashes at her brother. "Or I'll be executed, and it'll be all your fault."

Kai had to contemplate this. If he turned in Cole and Nya, they get killed and Kai gets maybe a word of gratitude. But if he actually _helped_ them Nya wouldn't die, the criminal would live, and Kai would be an enemy. The choice was obvious.

"It's a deal. I'll help you."

* * *

Lord Garmadon sat furiously on his royal throne. It was almost noon. Garmadon had sent General Kai and that disgruntled servant out early in the morning. Why were they not back yet? Kai should be hauling in Cole Brookstone's mangled and bloody body by now. What could the holdup be? Kai was not a man to do things slowly. When he was sent on a mission, he completed that mission swiftly, yet efficiently.

As Garmadon sulked some more, a slave waddled into the throne room. He cringed at the sight of his ruler's red eyes that shone through the dark, but he still managed to stutter, "L-lord Garmadon." He bowed in deep respect and fear and continued, "A man c-claims to h-have your son, Lloyd."

Garmadon sat forward in his chair, this conversation suddenly grabbing his interest. "Lloyd? My son who was kidnapped ten years ago?"

"The v-very one, s-sir."

The dark lord tried to control his voice as he ordered, "Bring them both to me." The slave nodded frantically and Garmadon took a series of deep breaths. Could this really be his son Lloyd? Was it even possible? Would Lloyd be happy to be back? or would he be ashamed of his father? But most importantly, where has he been all these years?

Garmadon bit his lip nervously. What should he say? The kid probably didn't know he was the missing prince. "Lloyd, I am your father." No, too cliché. "What up, son. You know I your daddy?" No, too gangster. Or should he have a nice father/son talk with him? No, too… good.

"Excuse me, Lord Garmadon?"

Garmadon shook himself out of his thoughts and focused his attention to a different servant who had with him a man who had a brown goatee and likewise hair. Alongside him was a younger boy with longer blonde hair and brilliant green eyes. Although Garmadon himself could not remember the physical appearance of his son, he was positive the latter was his son. The boy glared at his father with mad and confused eyes. The poor kid didn't know what was happening. Clearing his throat, Garmadon said to the older man, "And who might you be?"

Much to the dark lord's pleasure, the man of question cringed at the sound of the demonic voice. After much waiting, he said softly, "I am Rufus McCallister, Lord Garmadon sir. I have your son Lloyd with me here, sir."

Garmadon chuckled deeply, making McCallister shudder. He looked at his supposed son, not entirely sure if this was a prank or not. He looked a little like Misako, as well as Garmadon's own muscular build. There was only one way to find out…

"You two stay here," Garmadon spoke to McCallister and Lloyd. "You, slave, get my wife." The servant bowed and ran to the queen's room. Only a few moments later, a completely different servant entered with Misako, looking gorgeous as ever. Her expression turned from anxiety to the ultimate happiness. She turned to her husband's shady figure and nodded. Then, with tears, she hugged the boy. He looked confused.

"Get out of here, McCallister. I will deal with you later. You too, slave." The dark lord climbed down from his throne as the two men of question exited the room.

Lloyd's eyes widened as he saw the ruler head in his direction. Garmadon put a smile on his face for the first time in years. His son was home. Misako finally unwrapped her arms from the boy, who said, "So you guys are my real parents?"

"Yes, Lloyd." Misako wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled lovingly at her son. Garmadon tried to do the same, but he had a hard time with the whole "love" aspect. "Where have you been all these years?"

"Why do you care?" Lloyd unexpectedly snapped. "You didn't want me and gave me away to my uncle!"

Garmadon froze. What did he just say? "No, Lloyd. The rebels stole you right after you were born. Your mother loved you too much to give you away."

"And why should I believe anything any of you say?" He looked at Garmadon with a defiance that would get anyone else killed. "I believed my whole life believing that your brother was my father and that my mother died when I was little! Then earlier today he tells me he's not my real dad and that you of all people are! And you," Lloyd turned to Misako, his voice rising with every word he said, "gave me away! I wasn't stolen by any rebels, I was given to my uncle by you because you didn't want me!"

"Wu?" Garmadon gasped. Right after Garmadon became ruler, he made his first action to banish his brother from his kingdom. Wu would keep him from rising to ultimate power and would be a prince his whole life, having almost as much power as Garmadon. Misako didn't like it, she had always been close friends with him, but her word was nothing compared to her husband's. But now his son was saying he was raised by Wu, of all people?!

"Garmadon, I can explain…" Misako started, but Garmadon cut her off.

"YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME FOR TEN YEARS! I THOUGHT THE REBELS TOOK HIM FROM ME!"

Misako looked small. "I…"

"NO! MISAKO GARMADON, I SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH FOR LYING TO ME AND KEEPING MY SON FROM ME!"

Misako quivered. As if on cue, three of the palace guards rushed into the throne room. Garmadon nodded towards his wife and they grabbed her briskly, taking her away.

**So, thanks for all reviews! And if you want to know what the poll is for... You shall find out! I'm so evil...**

**Anyway, review, vote if you haven't already, and favorite/follow me/this story!**


	5. Chapter 5: Betrayal

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

Lloyd sat alone in his new room in the dark. The only light was a flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. Lloyd had a run-down mattress for a bed and a slab of molding wood that was supposed to be a dresser. A servant had dropped by and given Lloyd some books on the history of Ninjago and junk like that. No comics. In the rush of Mother Doomsday grabbing him and taking him to the palace, Lloyd had dropped his Star Fare comic book and his Prince Donogan action figure. "With authentic light sword," Lloyd sighed miserably. As he thumbed through the boring books, he saw the usual stuff: the First Spinjitzu Master, golden weapons, the two brothers, yadda, yadda, yadda. But as Lloyd looked at a hastily sketched picture of the brothers, Lloyd unhappily pointed out the elder as his father, the one who turned Ninjago into a nightmare. He married a beautiful woman, they had a son, he was stolen, and Ninjago was transformed into a living h3ll. Lloyd read that Garmadon turned his country upside down for his son, and blamed the rebels, who had a bad history with Garmadon. But the story stopped abruptly at this. Lloyd closed the book and opened another. _Flowers and Plants Native to Ninjago _read the title in gold letters. Boredly, Lloyd flipped through the book, catching glimpses of neon flowers and green foliage. Lloyd slammed it close and tossed it across the room in frustration. He flopped down on his "bed", feeling the hard springs underneath his chest. It had an old, musky smell, and it didn't look any better.

Lloyd was about to attempt to sleep, but a knock rang through the small room. Groaning, Lloyd made himself walk to the crappy looking door and he opened it, seeing a palace servant bowing down at the doorway. "Uh, hey," Lloyd said awkwardly. The servant didn't rise. "You can stand up now."

The servant did as he was told, but still had his head dipped in reverence. "Thank you, Prince Lloyd. Queen Misako has requested your presence in her quarters."

"Okay." Lloyd started to walk out of the small room, but the servant was blocking his way. "Uh, lead the way."

"Yes, Prince Lloyd." The servant took Lloyd through many halls until they reached a large room with a large bed and a large dresser. It was nice, but the thing that bothered Lloyd about his mother's room was that there were scrolls. Everywhere. On top of her luxurious bed, Misako studied one intently. When she notice her son entered her room, she dropped the roll of paper and ran to Lloyd, hugging him again. This time, Lloyd hesitantly hugged back.

"Oh, my son," she sobbed, running her hand through his blonde hair. She leaned back and looked at his head as if there was something wrong with it. "You need a haircut, your hair is looking long and shaggy, not a proper look for the prince! Oh, let me grab my scissors!"

"Mom, no." Lloyd looked at her, the word "mom" rolling oddly off his tongue. He'd never said that word in his life. Misako's soft gray hair was tied back in a messy braid and her eyes were tinged red. She had been crying. "Why did you call me here?"

The queen bit her lip slightly, then said, "I love you. I need you to know that, Lloyd. Everything I've ever done I've done to protect you." She wiped an emerging tear from her eye, then continued, "Lloyd, these scrolls I have tell of the future. The future of Ninjago, of all its people...and of you."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "The scrolls tell of my future? Why me?"

Misako raised her hands to her face. "I honestly don't know for sure. But what I do know is that you have a great power. You have an important and complicated destiny that even I don't understand. After you were born, I just _knew _that your destiny would be too great. If my husband ever found out of your future, he would seize your power for himself to do unspeakable things."

"So that's why you gave me to my uncle?" Lloyd asked, putting the pieces together. "And what power? Sure, my uncle trained me my whole life in some fighting style, but I've never done anything I would consider 'power.'"

"Like I said, I don't understand everything. But the scrolls say there will be four guardians of the light who will harness it and destroy the darkness. I don't know what this darkness is, but my best guess is-"

"My father," Lloyd gasped, the realization dawning upon his face. So his mother wasn't just thinking for his own good, but for the good of all Ninjago. She had hoped that Lloyd would find these guardians, whoever or whatever they were, and defeat his father one day? His uncle must have known all this, or why would he be training him to fight? He was preparing him for his future.

Misako nodded sadly. Then, with a crazed look in her pale eyes, she grabbed Lloyd by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Lloyd. My time here in Ninjago will be over soon. Your father believes I have betrayed him and... oh, how do I say this?"

"I know, mom." Lloyd tried to avoid his mother's gaze and looked to his feet. "You're gonna die."

Misako's face was now streaming with tears. "Yes, Lloyd. But I need you to find these guardians at any cost. And read up on my scrolls. You need to understand."

Lloyd caught his mom in an unexpected hug, the first that Lloyd felt was truly sincere. "I will. At any cost."

* * *

After traveling through the desert, Wu finally reached the city. He figured Lloyd couldn't have traveled far in the city in the time he had been there. The boy was probably mesmerized by that sight of the city. In fact, the old man wouldn't be surprised if he ran into him. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. No blonde-headed boy was seen. Most in the city had darker hair, so a light-headed person would stick out. Not looking where he was going, Wu accidentally ran into a person.

"Sorry for getting in your way!" the man snapped angrily.

"My apologies, sir." Wu dipped his head to show he was sorry. When the man started to walk away, Wu followed him suddenly and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but have you seen a young boy with light hair and green eyes?"

The man was not happy to be bothered, but he obliged to Wu's wishes by saying, "Yes. He walked into Rufus McCallister's comic shop, but then he ran out saying it was Prince Lloyd! Where have you been? It's all everyone's talking about!"

Wu froze as the man walked away. This wasn't good.

* * *

When the Samurai came crashing through the large window, Cole could only stand back and smile. The look on the General's face was priceless, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Cole almost laughed. But when Kai actually knew the Samurai, the grin faded. His plan was ruined! Cole knew that he couldn't escape the General, who was highly trained in combat, so he called X. At a previous Rebellion meeting, X had given Cole a special wristwatch. When Cole pressed the red button on the side, X would know he needed help and would come. He, er, she did come, but she recognized the General as her brother? And she was a girl?!

After the Samurai took off her helmet, she walked over to Cole, smiling. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

Cole shook his head in awe. "Thanks, X. But... you're a girl? And the General is your brother? How could you not tell me?"

"It's all about hiding my true identity, Cole." She winked. "It's Nya, by the way. General Kai's little sister, unfortunately. But I like 'Samurai X' better. It strikes fear into my enemies more than a name that means 'lustrous.'"

Cole just had to chuckle at that. Nya was really nice when not guarded by her intimidating mask. When her helmet was on, she was very closed off, not giving away anything of her true life. But now Cole felt she would tell him anything.

Cole saw the General shuffle on the ground where he laid. He let out an audible groan. "Nya, how…?"

"Be quiet, Kai," Nya said, then resumed her conversation with Cole. "So, I think I can convince Kai to help us. He's so overprotective of me. He'll do anything I ask him if it concerns my safety. You can get all the rebels together tomorrow night and we can finally ambush Garmadon's palace like you've been talking about for months. I think I speak for all of us when I say it's time we stop talking and start doing."

Cole bit his lip. She was right, of course. The only problem was that Cole didn't know exactly how to lead an army of slaves and commoners, most probably not trained in battle. Cole knew basic fighting moves, but not enough to take on the whole Garmadon palace. "Yeah, I know. But could you help me basically train the others. You know, just incase we need to fight?"

Nya chuckled. "Of course." She turned around and Cole saw that Kai was now standing up, with the help of Jay. Boy, that commoner was weird. Luckily, Kai looked injured. He winced ever so slightly, trying not to show his true pain. Though Cole saw through his amber eyes that it really hurt. All of a sudden, Nya bounded to him and gave him a huge hug. She whispered something that Cole couldn't hear, and Kai replied softly. Heh. Nice brother-sister moment.

"Uh, Nya? I think you broke my arm," Kai said, a slight red appear on his cheeks.

Nya laughed. "Sorry, Kai. Don't worry, your shoulder is only out of socket. I would never do anything to hurt anyone seriously."

"But what about Lord Garmadon?" Kai said in a low voice.

Cole looked at the ground. Everyone here except Kai was against Garmadon. Oh gosh. What did Kai think now that he knew his sister was against Garmadon? He probably didn't know what Nya had been up to since he worked at the palace. "He's different, Kai. He needs to die," Nya said.

"Yeah!" Jay added, grinning weirdly at Nya. Cole managed a grin. He liked her. "He's the worst person who ever lived!"

Kai glared at him. "I swear, if my sword arm wasn't injured, I would clobber you."

"You're welcome."

"Kai, stop being so mean!" Nya scolded. "I was going to fix your arm, but now I think I've decided against it."

"Not funny," Kai sneered.

"Fine." Nya yanked his arm. Cole chuckled at Kai's pained expression. He had probably never gotten hurt seriously, and he wasn't used to the pain.

Kai then gripped his sword with his injured arm. Cole smirked. Bad idea. "Now for you, commoner." Jay just stood there as the General aimed the sword for his heart. But he just dropped the weapon, the gold metal clanging on Jay's floor.

"Once an idiot, always an idiot." Nya shook her head.

Kai's scowl reappeared on his face. "Oh, shut it. But you will get it one day."

Cole rolled his eyes along with Jay. He _was_ an idiot.

"Kai, you need to forget about Garmadon." Nya threw up her arms. "What has he ever done for you?"

"Well, he gives me food, a place to lay my head after a hard day of training, and slaves to use whenever I want."

Cole snorted. Those were his reasons? Anne did the same for him! Well, except for the slaves part. "Whatever you think, his reign must come to an end," Cole said firmly. He looked at the Samurai, silently asking her if he should continue. She nodded, and he said, "I've been building a Rebellion against him and I'm sure there's more people who detest Garmadon that could help us. X... er, Nya and I are going to take him down."

"Nya, you can't!" Cole, Jay and Zane all jumped at the General's sudden outburst. "You'll get killed! And I promised myself I would never let you die."

"Then you have to help us. Or I'll be executed, and it'll be all your fault."

_So will I. I'll die, Anne will probably commit suicide in despair, the Rebellion will lose hope, and nobody will dare stand up against our tyrannical leader again! If I die, Garmadon will only be propelled forward and take over more of the world. Jay would die for helping me, so would the slave for betraying his master. Kai would probably even have his sister killed, that cruel heartless little..._

Cole was drawn out of his thoughts when Kai unexpectedly said, "It's a deal. I'll help you."

Cole felt his mouth fall open. He saw Jay's expression reflecting his own, but the slave didn't look shaken at all. Nya let out a girly squeal of excitement and hugged her brother again. This time the General actually embraced it and hugged his sister back, a slight grin appearing on his usually grumpy face. It was an odd sight. Cole walked over to Jay and Zane and muttered, "Never think I'd see the day the General smiled."

Jay let out a laugh, while the servant said, "His life is full of training the army and serving Garmadon. He does not have much to smile about."

"I could imagine that," Jay chuckled.

Kai and Nya let go of each other and the latter said, "Okay everyone. We need to move. Tomorrow night is a Rebellion meeting and Cole has to be present. If he isn't there, we might as well give up." Nya focused her gaze on Jay. "I hope you don't mind me kinda destroying your house. You don't have to come. I know, you probably have a job and a family-"

"No!" Jay shouted, eyes wide. "I'm actually not working right now. I'm trying to invent stuff and sell my inventions. I'm doing pretty good, if I do say so myself. And I'm not married. Well, not yet anyway. I know, most men my age should have a wife by now, but I'm still waiting for that special someone. My parents died, like, ten years ago and I don't have any family at all left. So, I'd be happy to help you guys! Not like I have anything better to do right now. Actually, Cole staying in my house brought an awesome adventure into my life and I'm not quite ready for it to end."

Nya smiled. "Great. The more the merrier."

Kai crossed his arms angrily. "So now I have to work with two criminals and a bunch of slaves in your Rebellion? This will be just wonderful."

Nya glared at him. "Shut up. Anyway, I'd say we go to my place. Sorry, sir, but we can't stay here. Once everyone gets back from work, they'll see he hole in the wall and be suspicious."

"Got it." Cole nodded, and they all started heading out. Kai and Zane too a really cool motorbike, while Nya let Cole and Jay hold onto her giant robot suit. In a flash, the village was gone and they were on their way.

* * *

On the way back to his room, Lloyd turned around and asked the servant to take him to his dad's throne room. Maybe he would heed his son's word. The slave lead him through another labyrinth of hallways until they reached arched double doors. The slave opened them, and Lloyd stormed in. The violet light made the room eerie, the sight of Garmadon's glowing red eyes magnifying that feeling. Lloyd gulped and stepped forward. Standing firmly on the ground, he said strongly, "Hey, dad."

"Lloyd." The sound of his deep voice sent chills down Lloyd's back. He tried not to flinch, but he couldn't help it. Garmadon laughed, which only made Lloyd mad. He was only ten!

"So, I was thinking, uh, why do you have execute mom?" Once again, the 'm' word sounded odd as it echoed through the room. His father didn't say anything, so Lloyd continued. "I mean, she was just trying to protect me. Your brother was really nice and-"

"NO!" Garmadon's voice boomed. This time Lloyd jumped, not even trying to resist it. He was starting to not like his dad too much. "Wu was a traitor! Misako would have taken him had I not married her to make him suffer! But now she betrayed me! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!"

Lloyd found himself crying. "Y-you... I-I hate y-you!" And with that he ran out of the room.

**Poor Lloyd...**

**Poor Misako...**

**Stupid Kai...**

**Sooo, I'm going on vacation tomorrow for five days, so this is my last minute update! Sorry if it was a little crappy, I try my best! XP **

**Review, vote if you haven't already, though Zane is winning by a landslide. Sorry, Cole. I don't think you can beat him.**

**Four more reviews until fifty! Thank you guys so much! Goal: 100 reviews! What do you say, guys? **


	6. Chapter 6: Planning

**I'm back! I couldn't stop thinking about this while on vacation! So, I give you, chapter 6!**

Jay felt like he was in a trance. General Kai's sister, Nya, was amazing. She was hot, strong, brave, hot, kind, sweet, hot, and most importantly awesome! Jay couldn't stop staring at her. And now that he agreed to go on this wild quest with her and the others, he could get to know her better, maybe even ask her out when this was all over! But there was one thing that was standing in his way of having the girl of his dreams.

Kai.

Jay was pretty much a criminal now, almost as bad as Cole. He was merely defending himself, but Kai would say that Jay attempted murder when he electrocuted him. Even though Jay tried to be nice when he helped the General stand when he was hurt, he still held a grudge against the commoner. Sure, Jay could ask Nya out on a date. That would be the easy part. But after he did that, Kai would murder him with his enchanted sword. The guy seemed protective of his little sister. Honestly, Jay thought she liked him, especially after he let it slip that he was still unmarried. Still. He had been thirteen when his parents died exactly eleven years ago. They were the best people in the world. But the both just died suddenly in their sleep. The worst day of Jay's life. He didn't even get to say goodbye. But he remembered his mom telling him not to rush to get married. She said he needed to wait for the right girl. Now Jay was twenty-four, and he felt he had found that girl. Most men in Ninjago got married at twenty or younger, but Jay heeded his mother's advice and waited. And, heck, was it a good thing he waited!

Now Jay was riding on Nya's totally awesome samurai mech. It was large and clunky and had some parts sticking out, but that only made Jay love her more. The imperfections showed that she had built it all by herself. Cole was riding with Jay as they soared through the sky as the General and the slave were riding a motorcycle underneath. In only a few minutes, Nya finally slowed down and landed. Her home was in the middle of nowhere! It was a lonely building standing on the top of a green hill. Some farmers were working, but they were the only sign of life. Nya dismounted from the suit, and Cole and Jay did the same. A moment later, Kai pulled up with the slave. Nya led the way inside. Jay realized that it was a house that doubled as a blacksmith shop. Weapons hung on the walls, but Nya led past that area deeper into the shop. She led them into a dining room and motioned for everyone to sit.

"I haven't been here in five years," Kai murmured, covering his face with his hands.

"It's nice place," Jay said, flashing a smile at Nya.

To his utter delight, she grinned back. "Thanks. I don't think I ever got your name."

"Oh, it's Jay. Jay Walker." Jay silently cheered. She knew his name. Step one: Complete.

Unfortunately, the General caught Jay's love-struck face. He stood up angrily and grabbed Jay's collar with his good hand. Jay felt the hot breath of an angry Kai against his face. He lifted him in the air and growled in a low voice, "You'd better not be hitting on my sister, commoner. If you try anything, I will pulverize you. Understand, you criminal?"

Jay knew he should have kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't help but say, "If I remember correctly, I knocked you out earlier."

"Kai, put him down!" Nya shouted, her face flustered. With one more daggers stare, Kai dropped Jay onto the hard floor. "He was just trying to be nice. There's no need to do that!" She ran over to where Jay laid on the floor. Eyes wide with panic, she gasped, "Are you okay, Jay?"

Jay nodded his head and stood up. This time, he took a seat in between Cole and the slave. Kai gave one more growl before sitting down again. How was this guy going to be an asset to their team? He was a pain in the butt.

Cole stood up and said in an authoritative voice, "Tomorrow night we ambush Garmadon's palace. All of us and the Rebellion will go." He looked firmly at the fierce General. "Kai, you'll get us into the palace."

"What?!" Kai exclaimed. "I didn't sign up for that!"

Cole shrugged. "You agreed to help. That's the only way you can. I can tell you're not gonna be nice to any of us."

"He speaks the truth," the servant said, nodding.

"Stay out of this, Zane."

"Shut your face hole," Cole snapped, and Kai unexpectedly obeyed. "I'll go over the exact plan in detail tomorrow night, mostly because I'm still forming it. But Garmadon will be dead by morning. If not, Kai can turn us all in and we'll die."

"That sounds fair enough," Kai contemplated. "So you all will be dead! There's no way you and your army of slaves can beat Lord Garmadon!"

"I think this is enough for tonight," Nya suddenly said. Jay looked outside a window to see the sun was starting to set. Already? Jay suddenly felt weary. He had been through a lot today. "You four can all sleep in Kai's room. I'll sleep in mine. We don't have a guest room, so it's either that or sleep in the merchandise room."

"Why my room?" Kai groaned.

"Because I'm a girl," Nya retorted. "Go show them all to your room."

"Yes, your highness." Kai stood up and walked out of the room. Jay, Cole, and Zane all followed until they reached the master bedroom. There was a large bed, which the General immediately claimed for himself. He hastily tossed three blankets to the others, making them sleep on the floor.

"I may be helping you, but we will never be allies," Kai grunted as the other three laid on their blankets. Jay shivered; there was a draft where he was laying. But he didn't feel like getting up and moving. He considered laying on the wood floor and covering himself with the blanket, but decided against it as he would be on the hard floor.

"Good night," Jay said. Cole grunted in response, already half asleep, while Zane replied, "Good night, Jay."

Kai, still awake, said nothing.

* * *

Lord Garmadon called Mother Doomsday in. The comic store owner was shaking in excitement when thinking about what his reward would be. In the dark throne room, Garmadon said, "Thank you, Rufus McCallister, for bringing back my son. Your reward…"

Mother Doomsday waited as Garmadon paused dramatically. This was it! He would be rich and famous for being the one to find Prince Lloyd! All would hail him as a higher being! He would finally be able to buy that boat he wanted, to go on a worldwide trip with the wife, and his comic books of course. And after that he would have enough left over money to buy a mansion instead of the shack he lived in now. He would have a pool, a hot tub, a spa, a whole room dedicated to his comic books, a whole room dedicated to his action figures, and a whole room dedicated to Star Fare! (comics, figurines, and movies!) Boy, the future was looking bright.

"…is my gratitude."

Mother Doomsday's mouth almost fell open. No money? Nothing of value? Just a word that was worth absolutely nothing?! But instead of voicing his complaints to Garmadon, he only bowed and exited.

Crap.

* * *

It was nighttime, and General Kai hadn't returned. Lord Garmadon was really ticked off. Something must have happened. He was almost ready to send slaves after him, but reminded himself that the General was strong and loyal. He would never betray Garmadon. He was Garmadon's right hand man. And he had to return soon. Currently, Commander Dareth was leading the army. They could not go on like this. Sure, Dareth was a good man, but he was a little… out there. The other commanders were snake-man hybrids called Serpentine, and Garmadon didn't totally trust them. Especially the blue one, Skales. He always seemed to be slithering in the shadows and hissing softly to his snake comrades. It was suspicious, but they had never committed treason. Yet, that is. Their only value was that they each had their special traits. Skales could hypnotize others. Fangtom could bite something and turn it into a snake. Acidicus spit acid into one's eyes, making them see their worst fears. Skalidor could tunnel expertly and constrict one to death. But their powers only made them more of a threat to Garmadon.

Garmadon groaned and climbed down from his throne. He was pooped after the events of the day. The report of sightings of Cole Brookstone, Lloyd's return, the death sentence of Misako, and the argument Garmadon had with his son. The child dare ask him to obliterate the death sentence! He thought he was all-powerful know that he was the prince! As if! But Lloyd's final words had stung him. "I-I hate y-you!" He was crying his eyes out, his face flushed a deep shade of pink. Lloyd's new royal robes were flying as he ran out of the room, the sound of his sobbing echoing around the halls.

Garmadon pushed the bitter thought from his head and walked to his bedroom. The bed seemed to be begging for him to jump on it, so Garmadon obliged to its wishes. He laid in the bed, looking at his ceiling. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop thinking of Misako. It was true she wanted Wu but Garmadon took her, but Misako had grown attached to the dark lord. At the beginning things were rough. Garmadon forced her to have his child and to love him. Her love had almost been true, but Garmadon sentenced her to death.

Was that… guilt?

No. He's Lord Garmadon, supreme ruler of Ninjago. He had no time to feel guilty. She deserves it. No one lies to Garmadon.

No one.

* * *

Zane woke up the next morning unsure of where he was. He was on a floor, not in his usual cot. He saw two men laying on the floor also, General Kai on top of a real bed. Suddenly, Zane remembered what had happened the prior day. The man in the dark clothing was infamous criminal Cole Brookstone. The other Zane recognized as Jay Walker. Then he remembered what was to happen that night.

The ambush.

The thought sent chills down his back. If they succeeded, Ninjago might be peaceful, free from Garmadon. If they failed, they were either killed in the act or executed the next day. It didn't sound too promising, but Zane had to trust that Cole knew what he was doing. He seemed like he was a good leader, as well as the Samurai, Nya. Zane hoped he would be able to fight. He never had any training, but understood how to punch and kick.

"Ugh…" Cole murmured from Zane's right. He looked around. "I'm not used to waking up in a different place every morning."

Zane nodded. To his left, Jay stirred. He was laying under his blanket instead of on top of it like the other two. He too let out a soft groan. He stretched his arms and said, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Jay," Zane replied politely.

"Hey," Cole muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Jay looked to General Kai, still fast asleep. "No wonder he's still sleeping. He has a comfy bed." He chuckled softly. "I'd be surprised if he woke up before tomorrow in that bed! Now, let's go. I don't wanna see him when he wakes up."

Cole, Jay, and Zane exited the bedroom to immediately smell food. Zane felt his mouth water as he recognized toast and eggs. Just by following the scent, they reached the kitchen-attached dining room, where Nya had set out plates full of delectable breakfast foods and glasses of orange juice. Nya, wearing an apron over a nice red kimono, stood by the table, smiling. Jay let out a cheer and sat down at a seat, Zane and Cole doing the same. Nya took a seat by Jay and said, "Is hot-head still asleep?"

"Yeah," Cole said, stabbing a sausage link with his fork. "He's a big jerk, you know."

"Did you see what he did to me last night?" Jay exclaimed. "He would have killed me, had Nya not jumped in! I know he wouldn't hesitate to! And he made us all sleep on the floor!"

"You're welcome for saving your life." Nya grinned. "I think five years leading the world's most feared army has changed Kai. He's not the Kai I knew. But I just knew he would help me."

"Nya, I'd appreciate it if you stop talking about me."

The room became uncomfortably silent as the General walked in and took the other seat by Nya. Zane couldn't help but notice that General Kai's usual scowl was replaced by a grin. Since when did the General smile? Cole furrowed his bushy eyebrows. Jay had his jaw slack as he stared. They, too, noticed the change.

Cole nudged Jay, who immediately shut his mouth, and said, "So… what will we be doing today while we wait for tonight, Nya?"

Nya shrugged. "I guess you guys could help me with the shop. It's really slow since Ignacia is very small. Maybe Kai and I could teach you guys how to make a sword."

Kai laughed. "You're still running this little place, Nya? I was sure it was out of business!"

"It would be if you were running it," Nya bit back. "And I would never let Dad's shop go out of business!" Looking at a clock on the wall, she added, "Oh, it's almost nine o'clock. Come on."

Nya led everyone down to the merchandise room. Zane marveled at the exquisitely made weaponry that lined the walls. From swords to nunchucks, scythes to shurikens. The blacksmith shop had it all. He saw that Nya had gotten more complicated with her designs. She made daggers with intricate animals, flowers, and small gems embedded in the metal. She was quite the blacksmith.

"Wow, Nya," Jay gaped. "You're really good at this!"

Zane nodded in agreement while looking at a pair of silver throwing shurikens with dragon designs on them. He had always admired the type of weapon, how they were specifically designed for stealth combat and could easily be hidden in a sleeve. Zane had never actually held one, much less thrown one, but he felt as if the weapons were calling him.

A bell rung, signaling a customer entering the shop. An older man walked in and said, "Good morning, Nya. Do you have a-"

The man stopped talking abruptly and stared at the General, who was standing by Nya at the head of the shop. Kai, dressed in his usual red clothing and gold armor, frowned, his unusually good mood disappearing. The man gasped, "Is it really Kai Igneous? After all these years?"

General Kai looked to his feet. "Yes, sir. It's me."

Zane heard Jay snort at the sight of the General calling another "sir." The man rushed forward and gave Kai a large hug, making Kai's face contort in slight anger and frustration. "It's nice to see you again, boy. Where have you been?"

Kai pushed the elder away and sternly said, "Working for Lord Garmadon. I've been training the army. It's General Kai now."

Zane felt an urge of sympathy as the old man's expression changed from pure joy to sadness. "Oh. Well, as long as you're doing something you love, I guess it's okay. Even if you are working for Garmadon."

"Uncle Ron, what was it you needed?" Nya jumped in, trying to change the conversation. She shot a warning glance at Kai and walked over to her uncle.

"Oh yes. I need some new shears. My old ones just broke yesterday," Uncle Ron said. He tapped his chin, then continued, "And I want one of your swords. I'm an old man now. I need to be able to defend myself."

"Coming right up!" Nya grabbed copper shears and a nice sword with green gems in the hilt. "Here you go."

Uncle Ron smiled at his niece and dropped a couple of bronze coins into Nya's free hand. He grabbed his shears and sword and said happily, "As always, thank you Nya." With what seemed like great reluctance, he added, "Nice to see you, Kai." And with that, he left.

General Kai sighed. "Was it something I said?"

Cole turned from examining a dagger. "Really? 'Was it something I said?' You told your uncle that you work for Garmadon. Did you not see how disappointed he was? You need to understand that no one likes Garmadon but you. And himself, obviously. Did you really think he would be proud of you?"

Kai shrugged. "I guess I did. I'm not used to Lord Garmadon haters. Most guards and soldiers at the palace are loyal. Slaves have no choice. But for others, he makes you prove your loyalty before you're officially working there."

"Uh, what did you do to prove your loyalty exactly?" Jay asked, though Zane sensed he didn't really want to know the answer.

"Nothing too extravagant. I killed a commoner who was publicly protesting against Garmadon's rule. Garmadon was the one who wanted me, so I didn't have to do a lot." Kai said it nonchalantly, as if he had picked daisies instead of committed murder. "It was no big deal."

"No big deal?!" Jay almost shouted. "You killed a person! That's insane!"

"And you call me a criminal," Cole muttered, shaking his head.

The rest of the day went on uneventfully, in Zane's opinion. Only one other customer came to Nya's shop, buying the shurikens Zane had been admiring, unfortunately. If the ambush resorted to fighting, Zane would have to figure something else out. Nya tried to teach Jay how to make a sword, but he ended up creating a seriously misshapen one. The whole time, Kai was glaring at the two, watching for any suspicious behavior.

Before Zane knew it, the sun was setting and Nya was leading the gang to the nearest manhole. They trudged through the sludge of unmentionables, the whole time the General complaining very loudly. Zane honestly didn't mind. The smell was atrocious, but the anticipation of the night's events distracted Zane from wading in people's waste.

In just a short time, they reached a clearing where about thirty men stood. The crowd silenced when Cole entered. Clearing his throat, Cole shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, tonight is the night! Tonight we will make everything right! Tonight, all the slaves will be freed! Tonight, we ambush Garmadon's palace!"

_His words sound promising, _Zane thought. Though deep within them, the slave sensed a hollowness.

**Yay! Ambush time! The next chapter may come later because I'm honestly still forming the exact ambush plan. I know what will happen after and how it'll all fit together, but the actual ambush will take a lot of time. Sorry Dx.**

**Remember, all! 100 reviews! That's the goal! Thanks for over fifty! That really made my day!**


	7. Chapter 7: Ambush part 1

**Thanks for all reviews! Sorry if this might be a little confusing, battle scenes aren't really my thing.**

Jay hated being escorted by the General to the dark and threatening palace of Garmadon. He absolutely hated it. Kai had insisted on binding his hands, and Jay knew he intentionally tied his so that the rope was cutting into his skin. When he had pointed that out, Kai only said it was for authenticity sake. Liar. None of the slaves had their hands tied, only him and Cole.

Jay sighed as he followed Cole down a stone-pave road. The castle was still a great deal away, yet its turrets still towered over the small group of men. The company was mostly compiled of about fifteen slaves, along with Jay, Cole, and General Kai. The plan was that Kai would get them into the castle. He would take Cole to the throne room where Garmadon would be, and the duo would subdue him. Kai would order a guard to take Jay and the others to the dungeon. Once Jay got the signal, (specialized blinking watches Nya had conjured) he would the turn and attack the guards. If all went as planned, they would go into the castle and help the others with Garmadon. Though, Jay still had his special golden nunchucks. Nya and Cole had taught the slaves in Jay's group some very basic fighting techniques. Some guards shouldn't be a problem. The other fifteen slaves and commoners, along with Nya and Zane, would be scaling the palace walls to where the army slept at night. Nya didn't say what she had in mind, but she seemed positive it would be successful.

"We need to all work together for our plan to work," Cole had announced just before they left. "If anyone asks you to help, do not hesitate. If Samurai X, Jay, General Kai, or anyone asks you to do something, it's not because you're a slave or not. You need to understand this. Remember! We are not doing this for us, but for all of Ninjago!"

Cole was an amazing leader. He had the courage and the wits to lead an army. Later, Cole told Jay that he stayed up almost all night the night before, making a structured plan that he knew would succeed. Jay admired him for his unwavering mask of bravery. It made Jay feel that triumph was inevitable.

The entourage stopped abruptly. Surprised, Jay realized they were at the front gates of the palace. Kai looked to the guards and merely nodded. Instantly, the gates opened. Once inside, Jay marveled at the space inside the castle. It was dark and cold, only an eerie violet glow serving as light. Jay always knew Garmadon was creepy, but not this creepy. Cole also shuddered, Jay noticed, but Kai was unfazed at the entire thing. Figures. Jay saw what was going to happen. Kai was going to betray them, making Jay's team rot in prison until execution and beheading Cole before morning. He would turn and kill his own sister without hesitation and Jay would never be able to ask her out! Why did he agree to this?!

"I'll take Brookstone to Lord Garmadon," Kai said fiercely to another guard. "I have bound the commoner's hands. You take the others to the dungeon. Now."

The man nodded. "Yes, General. Do you need help with the criminal?"

Kai scowled. "Why would I need help? Now do what you're told. I can have you killed along with the criminal! Now, is Garmadon in the throne room?"

"Y-yes, General."

"Go!" Kai roared, making the guard jump before leading Jay's group away to the bowels of the palace. Kai was roughly pulling Cole's arm before they were removed from his vision. The palace guard grabbed Jay and led the slaves down what seemed like twenty staircases. Nervously, Jay tugged at his bindings, which were bothering him. Oh, crap. How was he supposed to fight with his hands tied behind his back? How were any of them supposed to? Jay looked over his shoulder to his wristwatch. It was not blinking red. Jay bit his lip as they neared the dungeons. Why wasn't Cole giving him the signal?

"Gosh, you all are deathly quiet for a group of rowdy criminals," the single guard muttered. "No wonder the General sent me by myself."

Jay gritted his teeth. _Come on, Cole. Give me the signal. _At that precise moment, Jay's watch blinked crimson. With a smirk, Jay shook his arm from the guard and kicked him. The man's eyes widened and he fell to the ground. Jay stood over him and placed his foot on the man's armored chest. He thrashed under Jay's weight and unexpectedly drew his sword. With one swift motion, the sword came down hard on Jay's weight-bearing foot. With a gasp of pain, he jumped up. The guard hoisted himself into a standing position and started running back up the flights of stairs. The slaves started chasing after him with a battle cry and Jay couldn't help but marvel at their bravery. Some of them were only fifteen, while others were in their fifties. But all were keen on fighting for their freedom. Before he knew it, all the slaves were piled on top of the guard. He was struggling to move under their combined weight.

Jay looked down at his exposed head. The poor man's face was covered in fear. "Ha, never knew slaves could be so strong, did you?" Jay taunted. With his foot, he stomped down of his head, knocking the guard out cold. The slaves got off of the guard and Jay tried to grab his blade with his bound hands. Silently, he gave the sword to a slave, hands unbound, and he cut Jay's rope away from his wrists. Jay voiced his thanks and rubbed his forearms. A tinge of clotted blood had appeared where the cord was. _Kai!_

Quickly, Jay motioned for the crowd to follow him back up the flights. Now to help Kai and Cole. Following the course of events, Jay felt gallons of adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream. This was awesome! He hadn't had this much fun since the day he ventured away from home and found his nunchucks. It was when he was still living in the desert with his parents. He set off to find adventure, and found himself in the rural hills area of Ninjago. The hills quickly escalated, until the hills were transformed into snow-capped mountains. On top of those mountains was the shaft of giant nunchucks. Jay could only recognize it as the Floating Ruins. Jay, being a reckless youth, climbed the bottom shaft, up the chain, and ascending the top shaft. Whoever had built the nunchucks was mentally insane, but Jay realized that they were built for a reason once he reached the very top. There he found nunchucks, with the awesome magical ability to harness electricity and transfer it to something else. He had no idea who had placed the golden weapon there, or why destiny had allowed Jay to acquire them. But now, they would be of great use.

Lost in his thoughts, Jay didn't notice he had fallen down a flight of stairs until he realized that he was hurt. An almost unbearable burning sensation shot from his right ankle through his leg, making him nauseous. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tight. _Heck, _that hurt! Opening his eyes a smidge, he saw that all the slaves were running ahead. Had none of them seen him fall? Stifling a groan, Jay pushed himself up and tried standing. No luck. His foot merely crumbled beneath his weight. It hurt far too much.

"Hey!" came his weak call. "I need help!"

Nothing.

Jay got on his knees, though the dizziness made his vision blurry. He took deep breaths, then attempted crawling up the stairs, only for his ankle to scream out in pain. Jay cursed under his breath and grabbed the foot briskly. The sudden vertigo made Jay want to puke and his head was throbbing violently. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest, making it difficult for him to breath. In utter defeat, Jay allowed his stomach to give, spewing the remains of his dinner all over the floor. He groaned at the burning taste left in his mouth and wiped his mouth lethargically. Jay granted his eyes permission to sag and his consciousness to drift as he moved himself away from the bile and the world spun. Colors and shadows twirled around above his head before all of it dissipated and Jay blacked out.

* * *

Cole hated Kai right now. Sure, he was helping, but he was laying it on pretty thick. He was treating Cole like a slave, slapping him and kicking him whenever he got the chance. Cole tried to tell him that it wasn't necessary, but Kai only responded, "It's all for authenticity sake." Yeah, right. Cole knew the General was enjoying it far too much. He could see the joy in his amber orbs every time Cole received a punch. And he knew the criminal could do nothing about it.

Before Cole knew it, he was standing in front of a pair of double doors. Kai, one hand firmly grasping Cole's arm, pushed open the doors without even asking to enter. When Cole first laid eyes on Lord Garmadon, he knew he would be having nightmares. He couldn't see much in the weird purple light, but he could see that the king's eyes were glowing crimson. His skin was an unnatural ebony color, and to Cole's horror he saw white lines etched into his skin. No, not lines; his ribs were sticking out and showing themselves through the dark skin. His teeth looked like dozens of miniscule fangs, all sharpened to a needle-like point and a sharp color contrast to the black skin. On his head sat a silver crown with what looked like a human bone attached to the front. His only piece of clothing were pure silk pants the color of his skin held up by a violet sash. His throne was made up of only bones, most likely from conquered enemies. Cole gulped when he realized that his would be added if the plan failed.

_But it won't. As long as Jay and Nya do what they're supposed to, all will be fine. _Kai suddenly, kneeled before Garmadon and said in a hard voice, "I have the criminal, Cole Brookstone, Lord Garmadon."

Garmadon laughed in pleasure, a sound that echoed through Cole's mind. It was deep and demonic, as was his voice. "Very good, General Kai. I'm surprised you didn't kill him! What was the holdup?"

Kai rose to his feet and hesitated for a moment, no doubt thinking about his response. "I had to track him down once the slave and I got to Jamanakai, sir. No one had seen him and I had to stay overnight. He didn't put up much of a fight, though. I have also arrested a commoner and slaves that were assisting him in evading me. They are all on their way to the dungeon."

Kai flashed a glance to Cole, who was just standing there uncomfortably. Cole raised his dark eyebrows in inquiry and Kai let his head dip into a miniscule nod. Struggling to move his hands through his rope bindings, Cole tapped the surface of his watch. When he looked over his shoulder, it was blinking red. Perfect. Now, Jay should be leading the slaves to attack the guards. He and Kai just had to take over Garmadon, then Jay would soon arrive with help. Cole had no idea what Nya would be doing with the rest of the group, but he was positive her plan would work.

"Very good," the dark lord's voice boomed again. "I knew you wouldn't fail me." He turned his haunting gaze to Cole, who looked to his feet immediately. "As for you, criminal, will be executed first thing tomorrow for all of Ninjago to see! Your Rebellion will die with you."_  
_

Cole forced himself to look back at Garmadon. Staring boldly into his eyes, he said, "That's what you think."

Kai unsheathed his golden sword and pointed it at Garmadon, flames starting to lick across the shining metal. With an exhilarated grin, the General charged for Garmadon and used the butt of his sword to knock him off of his throne. Garmadon now on the floor, Cole saw that he was as weak and exposed as any other man. His only protection was his grotesque image and his palace guards. Kai aimed the ablaze sword at his ruler's neck and growled, "I can kill you right now, you know."

"Not if I can help it." With a shout, Garmadon kicked the General in the unmentionables. Kai fell back and Garmadon took off. Seeing his opportunity, Cole tackled him, which proved difficult with bound hands. But it worked. Kai was still writhing in pain on the floor and Garmadon bared his teeth at Cole, making him think he would bite his head off. Garmadon's face was contorted into dark anger, honestly scaring Cole

"Get him!" a voice shouted. Cole smiled as he saw a group of men - the slaves that were with Jay - bombarded into the room and helped Cole with Garmadon. Cole got off of the dark ruler and looked around the dimly lit throne room. Where was Jay? The weird man was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't have gotten caught, or the rest of the group would be too. Frantic, he grabbed a slave and said, "Where's Jay?"

The man shrugged, then went back to holding back Garmadon. Cole ran to Kai, who was just standing up, and said, "I'm gonna go find Jay. He's not here. Cut my bindings off."

Kai glared at him for being ordered around, but used his sword to cut the rope. Muttering a thanks, Cole ran out. The hall was surprisingly empty. No guards, no slaves, no one. Cole bounded down the hall, looking out for Jay. Where could he be? What could he be doing? Why was he not with his group? Cole had unpleasant visions of the commoner ratting him out to a guard. But Jay would never do that. Right?

With a grunt, Cole ran into a little boy. The kid's eyes widened and he dropped about a dozen century-old scrolls. He quickly bent down and gathered them before saying, "Sorry, I, uh, was so interested in the books that you gave me that I decided to go to the library and get some scrolls! I know I'm not supposed to be out at night, just don't tell my dad!" The boy choked up, a slight tear slipping out of his eye. "I don't want him to yell at me again."

"What the heck, kid?" Cole muttered, picking up a scroll the kid forgot.

"I just... wait." He wiped the tear from his eyes, which were a vibrant green, and looked at Cole oddly. "You aren't bowing at my feet or calling me honorable Prince Lloyd?"

Cole stared at him. "You're missing Prince Lloyd? How is that possible?"

Lloyd smirked mischievously. "Well, when I was born, my mom decided to name me Lloyd. She said that she liked the way my full name rolled off her tongue: Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon. That's how. Who are _you_?"

Cole returned his grin and said, "I was falsely accused as your kidnapper. Now, do you know where the dungeons are? I'm kinda looking for someone."

"Are you a rebel?" Lloyd asked, eyes shining in excitement. "My mom said she told my dad that rebels kidnapped me, when really she gave me to my uncle. You sound cool from Mom's stories!"

"Uh, thanks." Ignoring the kid, Prince or not, Cole started running down the hallway again. To his annoyance, Lloyd followed.

"Hey! You can't find the dungeons without me!" Realizing the boy was true, Cole slowed down and allowed the Prince to catch up. He was pretty tall for being ten. He almost came up to Cole's shoulders. He had ruffled bleach-blonde hair and eyes that glistened like emeralds. In other words, he looked nothing like his father. While Lord Garmadon emanated darkness, the little boy seemed to to be like a pure light. For a second, Cole saw Lloyd standing in front of him, wearing golden armor and literally glowing. The criminal rubbed his eyes to see that he was back in his green robes. _What was that? _

The Prince led Cole down multiple flights of stairs, talking the entire way. "Mom said that Grandpa made the dungeons fifty-seven flights down so that it's hard for bad guys to get away. I guess it would be difficult, but not impossible. In the two days I've been here, I've climbed these stairs tons of times 'cause Dad put Mom down here because she lied to him about me being kidnapped ten years ago. Dad's really mean. He sentenced her to death tomorrow. I tried to get her out, but I can't. Dad rules over everyone."

Cole listened to his babbling in silence as he climbed down the stairs. _Wait... if the missing Prince is here, then why does Garmadon still want to kill me? _Cole shook his head. The kid had said it. Garmadon is mean.

"Hey, is that your friend?"

Cole looked to where Lloyd was pointing. What he saw made him sick. Jay was laying limp on stairs, not moving. Cole ran down to him and to his relief saw the steady rise and fall of his chest. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and his right ankle was swollen like a rock. "Oh, Jay..."

Lloyd chuckled. "Looks like he lost his lunch."

Cole didn't even want to look where the kid was. He grabbed Jay and tried to pull him up the stairs, only for the commoner to let out a groan. Boy, Jay was heavy for being shorter than Cole and as skinny as a twig. "Lloyd, come help me with Jay."

"But I'm the Prince!" Lloyd complained in a high voice.

"I don't care," Cole growled through gritted teeth. "Grab his arms, I'll get his legs."

"Fine..." Lloyd set down his scrolls and grasped Jay's hands. Cole tried to grab his feet without disturbing the horribly bruised one. Cole lifted the man's legs while Lloyd was struggling with his upper body.

Sighing, Cole said, "Never mind, I'll just have to get him by myself." Grunting, Cole picked Jay up bridal style and started ascending the staircases. Cole was pretty strong, if he did say so himself, but holding a roughly 120 pound man made it very difficult. And Prince Lloyd didn't even offer to help. Not that Cole expected him to, his hands full of rolled up documents.

"So..." Lloyd started, obviously trying to break the silence, "why are you here if you don't work here?"

"None of your business, kid," Cole muttered. He didn't need the Prince knowing that he was attempting to kill his dad. "Why are you holding a bunch of scrolls?"

"They're my mom's," the kid replied, looking down at his armfuls of the things. "She told me that the scrolls told of my destiny or something and wanted me to read them since she's gonna die tomorrow morning. I was taking them all to my room when you ran into me. There's tons more."

Cole grunted, not knowing how to respond to that. The Prince was weird...

By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Cole was exhausted. He almost collapsed, but he knew that would hurt Jay. He set Jay down on the floor, only for him to wake immediately. "What happened?" he groaned, holding his head. His usually gleaming blue eyes were dull with pain. When he saw Cole's worried expression, his eyes widened a bit. "Oh, crap. I ruined it, didn't I?"

"I don't know yet," Cole replied, shrugging. Jay was worrying him. All thoughts of the ambush exited his mind. _I wasn't good enough, and a teammate got hurt. What kind of leader am I? Jay will never trust me again! _"Lloyd, can Jay lay in your room for a little bit? I don't want him getting into the fight."

Lloyd nodded and motioned for them to follow. Cole picked up Jay again, only for him to protest, "Hey! I can walk!"

"Look at your foot," was Cole's only response. He followed Lloyd down a hallway lit with torches until they came to a small closet. "Uh, this is your room?"

"Yeah," Lloyd sighed. Cole walked in and laid Jay on the run-down mattress, trying not to step on scrolls.

"Thanks, Cole." Jay grinned. "Just don't forget me here!"

Cole chuckled. "Don't worry." With that, he ran back to the fight.

**Okay, horrible ending, part two will be coming soon! I didn't want to bore you guys with a ten thousand word long chapter.**

**And, I have a new poll up on my profile! Please vote on that one, or review your vote if you're a guest.**

**Remember: 100 reviews! I can't believe I already have 76 reviews! Thanks so much!**

**Review, so I, uh, I mean _we_, can get 100 reviews! xD**


	8. Chapter 8: Ambush part 2

**Thanks for all reviews! Inspiration struck for Nya when watching Ep. 5 Can of Worms.**

Nya bit her lip nervously under her helmet. She was glad that her group couldn't see how anxious she was. Sure, she'd been on a few missions to take down some rogue Serpentine for terrorizing innocent citizens. But Nya had never done anything like this. If she succeeded, Ninjago would be the happy and peaceful civilization it used to be. But if she didn't, the whole rebellion would be killed. She would let Cole down. She would never get to know Jay better, never go on a date with him as she had envisioned the first time she met him. He was a really nice guy, not to mention super cute with his flowing chestnut hair and electrifying blue eyes. The way he smiled at her... Nya just _knew _that they were meant to be.

"Nya?" The solemn voice of Zane drew her out of her thoughts. Nya grinned, though Zane couldn't see it through the mask of metal. "Our watches are blinking."

"Oh." Nya's face turned red in embarrassment. Sure enough, her specialized wristwatches were flashing scarlet. That was their signal. Taking a deep breath, she looked up the exterior wall of the palace. It was smooth, making it not easy to climb, and about thirty feet high. Nya could fly up there using her Samurai X suit, but what about the others? She could transport them one by one, but that would take far too long. Someone might catch them while she was in the act _and _the engine of the jetpack was extremely loud. Placing her hands on her hips, Nya felt something through her gloved fingers. A smile was painted on her face as she realized what she was fingering.

She turned to the group, held up the contraption, and said, voice disguised, "I'll shoot this grappling hook up to the top of this wall and we'll climb it." Sighing, she added, "Cole put you in this group because you're young and showed you'll be skilled fighters. If Kai told me the right thing, right beyond these walls should be the army's training grounds and sleeping huts, so your small battle training may come in handy."

"Why do we have to work with the General?" a slave whimpered softly, slumping his shoulders ever so slightly. "He's gonna betray us!"

This time, it was Zane that spoke up. Nya was relieved; his unwavering voice sounded assuring and seemed to calm the frayed nerves of the company. "Let us trust Samurai X. He knows what he is doing. If we trust him, Garmadon will be stopped and all slaves will be freed!"

"Thanks Zane," Nya whispered, which sounded odd through the voice modifier. Grasping the grappling hook, Nya shot the tool up to the top of the concrete wall. To her relief, the hook gripped onto the wall. When she pulled on the rope, it stayed firmly in place. Nya gritted her teeth as she gripped the cord and placed her feet on the wall. Her red boots tracked well as she fed the rope hand-in-hand to ascend up the castle wall. Looking back, she saw that the others were preparing to get on behind her. Seeing a man's nervous expression, she said, "It's easy when done like this. You all are strong, I can see. You can do it. And when we get down their, cover your faces."

Turning her attention back to the climb, Nya found herself making great progress. She heard small grunts of effort, signaling that others were having a difficult time. Nya reached the top and crouched down, just incase someone was on watch in the middle of the night. Zane was right behind her, followed by everyone else. Looking down to make sure everyone was up, all Nya saw was a commoner who was left behind. He grabbed the rope in attempt to pull himself up, only for him to lose his grip and fall back to the ground.

Sighing, Nya slid down the grappling hook cord and looked at the man. She didn't want to have to do this, but it was necessary. "Here, grab on," came her deep, robotic voice. The commoner nodded and wrapped his arms around Nya's neck tightly, as if holding on for dear life. She tapped a button on the jetpack placed on her back and a low, rumbling sound roared through the tranquil night. They were propelled upward, slowly. The pack was only meant to hold the weight of one person, and it barely managed to the top. The man nodded to Nya in appreciation. Under her mask, Nya smirked. If Kai had seen that man holding her like that, he would have broken his neck. _Oh, Kai... _

Nya looked down into the palace courtyard. To her relief, multiple beige tents were set up everywhere. No one seemed to have heard the overly noisy jetpack. It looked like there was about fifty huts, maybe four cots per hut, so that meant that they were up against about two hundred men, including the Serpentine. Perfect. But Cole _had _chosen the strongest men to be in Nya's group, just incase they had to start fighting. But Nya had a plan that would hopefully avoid conflict.

Hopefully.

Nya jumped off the wall and landed in the soft grass of the training courtyard. She motioned for the others to follow, creating many soft thumps on the ground. Nya ran lightly across the grassy veld to a tent. Taking in a breath sharply, she delivered a nice roundhouse kick to the opening flap. Repeating the same to each tent, she turned on her jetpack and hovered five feet above the ground, high enough for her figure to be hidden in shadow. Mumbling erupted from every tent, men and snakes rushing around, trying to figure out what woke them. Seeing her opportunity, Nya held out her wrist and a pale blue vapor flew out, sinking to the ground and making a sort of a blanket of steam. Nya bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Both men and snakes both were falling unconscious everywhere. Just as planned.

* * *

Lloyd paced in his room. The man who had dropped off Jay, Cole, had run off to do who knows what, leaving Lloyd with the hurt man. Lloyd longed to chase after him to see what he was up to, but he was supposed to be watching Jay, who was now asleep. Seriously, why did he need Lloyd's help now? He didn't look like he was going to wake up anytime soon. Lloyd, in boredom, picked up a scroll that had been lazily abandoned on the grimy floor. Unrolling it, he saw the image of a man in emerald robes, surrounded by men in red, blue, white, and black ones. Reading the few words of the ancient language that he actually knew, he mumbled, "One... rise above... green..." _One _what_ will rise above the others? And what about 'green?' _Lloyd tossed the scroll across the small room. Why did the scrolls have to be in chicken-scratch?! Only his mother fully understood the forgotten language. The Prince was tempted to run to the dungeons and ask her to read the scroll for him, but he couldn't. He had to watch Jay for Cole. Lloyd couldn't explain it, but he felt... _protected _when around him. For some weird reason, he felt the same way when around Jay, even when he couldn't walk. As if both would go to the ends of the earth to protect him. He knew it sounded insane, yet he couldn't block those odd feelings.

Lloyd looked at Jay, who was obviously in a deep sleep. It wouldn't be bad if he left for just a moment, right? Jay would be fine. Lloyd's mom would be executed in the morning, and he still had a few scrolls to transport to his room. Then after that, he could find Cole and see what he was up to in the palace this late! As long as his father didn't catch him and Jay didn't wake up, he would be fine. Checking the hallway for guards or slaves, Lloyd ran out of his closet-like room to his mother's. A few more scrolls were laying scattered on the floor and Lloyd scooped them up, heading back to his room where he haphazardly dropped them on his floor. _Now to go see Mom! _

Lloyd ran as fast as he could down the fifty-seven flights of stairs where the dungeons were held and where his mom slept. Looking warily from cell to cell, he saw his mom sitting cross-legged on the soiled concrete floor. When he approached the cell, she opened a pale blue eye. "Hello, son."

"Hey, Mom." They did an awkward hug through the bars. Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck and said, "So, there's these guys in the palace tonight. I don't know who they are or how they got here, but I just... I don't know, I just feel like they're supposed to be protecting me. The funny thing is, one of them broke his foot or something and can't walk, so I was actually protecting him! But still..."

Misako studied Lloyd's troubled expression and answered, "Then you must go with the men when they leave. Never doubt your feelings. You know what will happen tomorrow. You cannot stay here once I..."

"No! I can't leave! I have to save you!"

Former Queen Misako shook her head. "You can't, Lloyd. Everything happens for a reason. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I promise you that it will be for the best. There's no way you can help."

Lloyd felt steamy tears rolling down his face. "But..." Seeing his mother's stern look, he wisely decided against arguing. "Fine. I-I love you." After another weird hug, Lloyd walked back up the stairs to check on Jay.

_Well that was depressing. _

Lloyd found himself back in the hallway that led to his room and heard an underworldly shout. There was only one person who could have sounded that demonic. It was Lord Garmadon. Lloyd, instead of going back to his room, bounded for the throne room. Lloyd heard yells of excitement, then a silence. The sound of a crackling fire started and Lloyd peeked through the throne room doors. To his shock, he saw a guy with serious bed head brandishing a flaming sword over his dad's neck. He was about to bring the weapon down the dark lord's spine when something pushed Lloyd aside. Falling down, the Prince saw that multiple palace guards were rushing into the throne room, each possessing perfectly sharpened swords or daggers. Garmadon was laughing deeply, and screams erupted from the room. Lloyd couldn't see anything through the crowd of guards and other men. Suddenly, a man shouted, "Retreat!"

Scrambling out of the way, Lloyd recognized Cole leading others men out of the throne. Guards were chasing after them, hitting some with swords and creating crimson blood splatter on the manor floors. Lloyd followed them, trying to make sure a guard didn't pounce on him and kill him on accident. He ran to his room and saw that Cole was already in there, picking up Jay gently. When he saw the Prince, he exclaimed, "Lloyd! Uh, we have to go..."

"Before my dad catches you?" Lloyd asked. The man nodded frantically. "Well I have to come with you!"

"No way, kid. You're the Prince! I can't kidnap you," he replied, Jay now firmly in his arms.

Lloyd grabbed a sack that had been left in his room by some slave and started shoving a bunch of scrolls in it. "I _have _to. My mom said I had to, and I kinda have this feeling like I'm supposed to."

He paused right before exiting the room, looking at Lloyd with his dark brown eyes. He squinted, then rubbed his eyes as if clearing out his vision. "You just... Never mind. Come on, kid."

Lloyd did a silent cheer and followed the man. Outside the small room, guards were swarming the halls. When they spotted Cole, they advanced. Lloyd, eyes wide, shouted, "Stop! Don't attack them!"

A guard scowled and said, "Prince Lloyd, this man is Cole Brookstone, notorious criminal! Do not try to protect him!"

"You have to obey me," Lloyd pointed out, and motioned for Cole to follow him to the castle entrance. He wanted to go and pick up his mom, but he couldn't. They didn't have enough time, and Garmadon would surely catch them by then. The palace gates were in view, and the ran like the wind until they were out. Lloyd gasped for breath as he bolted until the château was long gone. They stood on the side of the now dirt road, panting.

"Hopefully everyone got back home. I guess I'm going back to Ignacia with Nya," Cole murmured, setting Jay down. He put his head in his hands. "We failed."

Lloyd held his stomach and dropped his bag of ancient scrolls on the ground. "What were you even trying to do?" he gasped.

"I'd rather not talk about it. It was a failure anyway." Cole tapped the watch and spoke into it, "Samurai X, retreat. Now. We've all left and I... I have the Prince."

There was a silence, then a male voice said through the wristwatch, "You what?! Cole, how could you?!"

"I had to!" Cole hissed. He was trying to hide his stress, Lloyd could tell. He was taking this really hard. "Just get out of the palace."

"Fine. We're on our way."

Cole nodded, even though he knew the receiving officer couldn't hear him. Now speaking to the Prince, he said, "Now I really have kidnapped you! Just great."

Lloyd shook his head. "No, I chose to come. You can't be blamed." He attempted to place a reassuring hand on Cole's tense shoulder, but the man only thrust the extremity away. Lloyd frowned.

"But I will!" Cole growled and started walking back and forth nervously. "The guards came right before Kai killed Garmadon. Now I'm dead. Literally! And so are Jay, Nya, Zane, and everyone else! Kai might even live, saying he was bribed or something to evade death. He wasn't with us when we retreated, so he probably stayed back and offered his greatest apologies and more!"

Jay groaned from the hard ground. Lloyd jumped at the sudden sound from the now conscious man. "We are sooo hooped," he moaned.

Lloyd heard a small whirring sound in the back of his head. As he pricked his ears to listen to it more, he swore it got louder. "Do you hear that?"

Cole nodded his head and peered down the dusty pathway to see a light heading their way. Lloyd shielded his eyes, as the figure got brighter as it got nearer. The earsplitting noise strengthened in volume until it lulled a bit. The Prince opened his eyes to see a large, scarlet motorcycle, red-hot flames licking across the rubber tired. Lloyd leaped back as golden blades extended from the motorbike. On top of the machine was a man wearing shining armor, his dark hair askew. Lloyd recognized him as the man who almost killed his father. He seemed to be winded, taking deep breaths. "What are you waiting for?" he growled, glaring at Cole. "Get on!"

"You're... helping us?" Cole asked with a quizzical look on his face.

The man scowled. "Just get on! You don't have all night!"

Cole nodded, a new determined look in his dark eyes. He picked up Jay, who protested weakly again, and the man on the motorcycle helped them both up. Lloyd followed them, only for the unknown man to grunt, "Who are you?"

The Prince puffed out his chest in a sort of pride. "Prince Lloyd."

His eyes widened and he looked at Cole, "If he really is, then why...?"

"I don't know, Kai." Cole shrugged. "Just go back to Ignacia. I think Nya's on her way with everyone else."

"What about his group?" Kai said, nodding towards Jay in disgust. "What happened to them?"

"They ran out of the palace, hopefully going back home."

Kai didn't respond and revved the engines, taking off down the road. Jay was straddling the heated leather seat with great discomfort, Cole seated behind him and holding onto his shoulders so he didn't slip off. Lloyd was on the back, feeling the apex of each bump as he was tossed around. He wrapped his hands around Cole's chest, feeling a sense of security come over him. He was right; this man was meant to protect him.

**So that was a _little _short, and it took a long time for the correct words to come to my head, but I did it!100 reviews! I'm sooo close!**


	9. Chapter 9: Restrained

**Thanks for all reviews! Ohmigosh, this is the one month anniversary of this story! Yay!**

As Kai sped down the unfamiliar rural roads of Ninjago, he couldn't help but note that this _probably _wasn't the most incognito way to travel after almost killing Lord Garmadon. The engine of his motorbike was impossibly loud and obnoxious, and the ablaze tires made the party easy to spot from far away in the middle of the night. Luckily, the motorcycle was extremely fast, and Kai could see the small town of Ignacia appearing over the horizon. His home town. Kai bit his lip painfully to stop the memories from flowing in. He didn't have the time, nor the _softness_, to reminisce. He was hardened General Kai of Garmadon's army, though a voice in the back of his mind kept repeating that this was no longer correct. Deep inside, Kai knew it was true. He had attempted to murder his ruler. That crime was unforgivable. Garmadon would be hunting him down along with Cole.

Kai eased the throttle and felt his motorbike slow down, gradually. The run-down blacksmith shop, Four Weapons, was drawing nearer. The motorcycle came to a complete stop and Cole climbed down, helping Jay every minute of the way. The Prince jumped down next to them. Finally, Kai shut his eyes and willed the bike to transform back into his golden sword. Soon enough, he felt soft grass beneath his feet and a metal hilt in his hand. Sheathing his sword, Kai followed Cole, carrying Jay for some reason, into the shop. Prince Lloyd followed Kai warily, as if he wasn't quite sure what exactly to do. Kai rolled his eyes at the kid. The entourage walked through the main hall and into Kai's bedroom. Cole laid Jay on the large bed, making the latter wince.

"What happened to him?" Kai asked, crossing his arms.

"Like you care," Cole bit back venomously.

Kai tightened his face into a growl. "I lost everything I had tonight. I lost my career, my trust, and my freewill! I betrayed my leader for you, and now my face will be all over the wanted posters!"

"Now you know how it feels," Cole bluntly replied. He left Jay's side and stood so close to Kai that he could feel the criminal's sticky breath on his face. "I've spent the past five days living in the shadows," he murmured in a low voice. "I can't think of anyone who deserves that lifestyle more that you."

Kai gripped his sword in his scabbard, pure animosity pulsating towards Cole. "Did I not help you out tonight? If not for me, your little ambush plan wouldn't have happened. After, you three were sitting on the side of the road, not even attempting to move. I gave you a ride. You would still be there, moping over your failure, if I didn't decide to help you."

Cole opened his mouth as if about to let out a snappy retort, but thought better of it. He let out a loud sigh and sat on the edge of the bed. Avoiding Kai's gaze, he murmured, "How do you feel, Jay?"

The injured man pointed to his ankle ferociously. Kai looked to where Jay was motioning to see that his foot was dark purple and swollen to five times its size. _That's gotta hurt._ "Oh, I'm just fine, Cole. I could go run a marathon!" Cole raised his eyebrows curiously, and Jay nearly shouted, "Of course I'm not fine! I can't feel below my knee! You had to carry me in here! I'm freaking out!"

Kai laughed, earning him an angry glare from Jay. The injury did look pretty bad, but Kai knew from experience that wounds often looked worse than they really were. Men would complain of broken bones, when in reality they were only sprains and such.

"I'm here!" a deep, mysterious voice called. Kai recognized his sister, Nya, as she ran into the bedroom in her Samurai suit, Zane following her. She took off her helmet and her voice became normal. "What happened, Cole?"

"We failed, to put it simply." Cole shrugged. "Jay hurt his ankle and Kai's being a jerk. Plus, I have Prince Lloyd."

"And tell me why exactly you kidnapped the Prince?" Nya asked accusingly, placing her hands on her hips.

Lloyd ran up to Nya and said in his high little kid voice, "I asked to come! He didn't kidnap me!" He grabbed a bag that was slung around his shoulder and dug deep into it. He pulled out a scroll, glanced at it, then tossed it to the ground. He delved back in and dropped about ten more rolls of parchment on the floor before examining one and announced, "This is it! Uh, can anyone read chicken scratch?"

Kai shrugged, while Frosty stepped forward and politely took the scroll from Lloyd. "I have studied the ancient language of our ancestors for almost my whole life," the slave stated plainly. He squinted, as if he was making sure he read it right. "This one reads, 'There will be four guardians of the light. They will harness it to desolate an impending doom.'"

"Doom?" Kai wondered aloud. A sense of dread weighed upon his shoulders. "That couldn't mean Lord Garmadon, could it?"

Lloyd nervously rubbed his neck. "That's what my mom thought. She also said that I was the light that it talked about, but she didn't know for sure. She told me to find the four guardians of the light. When I saw Cole, I had this weird feeling like he was supposed to protect me or something. Same thing when I saw Jay, and you, and you!" He pointed to Jay, Kai, and Zane, respectively.

Kai was puzzled. _I'm supposed to defend some kid I just met? _

"Does anyone have a logical explanation for this?" Jay muttered, obviously confused.

"It _does_ sound pretty far-fetched," Cole agreed. "Just because a thousand-year old piece of paper says something, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's true."

Lloyd bit his lip, unsure what to say. He seemed shocked that nobody believed him. But Zane, who had started studying some of the other scrolls haphazardly left on the bedroom floor, said in his calm voice, "All of these scrolls are consistent, telling of four guardians of the light. They speak of a darkness that may overcome the land, but I see none telling what exactly this darkness is."

"That's what my mom said," Lloyd recalled, nodding his head. "She said she studied the scrolls for ten years but never figured out what the evil was. She always assumed it was my dad, seeing as he's the worst thing that's ever happened to Ninjago."

"He's not _that _bad," Kai murmured under his breath, but no one heard him.

"Guys, let's call it a night," Cole announced, emitting a loud yawn. "I'm honestly exhausted. We can talk about this in the morning."

The rest of the group muttered an agreement, and Nya turned in to her room. Cole and Zane grabbed blankets and settled on the floor. Kai shot an angry look at Jay. "I guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight," he sighed, seeing as Jay needed all the comfort he could get. Kai grabbed a red blanket, a blanket he'd had since he was a kid, and laid on top of it. The Prince stood awkwardly in the room, not knowing exactly what to do. Kai exhaled loudly once more. _Royalty. _"Take a blanket and sleep on the floor," he said, trying to show the kid that he was annoyed at his antics. "Sorry, but we don't have a luscious bed for you to sleep in or piles of blankets and pillows to make you happy. This isn't the palace, kid."

"Sorry." Lloyd grabbed a thick, wool blanket and settled down on top of it, trying to use his arm as a pillow. "Goodnight," the young boy called.

"Night," Jay moaned, hardly comprehensible.

There was an unbearable silence. Kai laid on his back, staring at the ceiling uncomfortably. This was the first night in his life that he wasn't sleeping in a real bed, as ridiculous as is sounded. A thought popped in Kai's head, and he couldn't help but whisper, "Hey, Cole?"

"Hmm?" came his sleepy reply.

Kai searched for the right words. "I, uh, I'm not gonna kill you guys tomorrow like I said. I'm probably on Garmadon's most wanted list now, so what's the point?"

There was a silence, then the criminal replied, "Who are you and what have you done with General Kai?"

Kai managed a chuckle. "I'm serious. You're an okay guy."

"Well, thanks for that," Cole replied.

"Are you guys gonna talk all night? Some people are trying to sleep here!" Jay groaned from the bed.

"Sorry."

Kai closed his eyes and felt himself lulling into a deep sleep. But before he did that, a thought drifted across his mind.

_Did I really just do that?_

* * *

Lord Garmadon sat in his destroyed throne room. The walls were scorched, muddy footprints all over the floor. Garmadon gently rubbed his neck, feeling the deep scratches that the General had left on it, dark blood staining his fingers. Stinging burns lined the neck wound, from the General's enchanted fire sword. He couldn't believe Kai tried to kill him! He was clearly under the control of Brookstone, or had been bribed, for Garmadon knew that Kai would never deceive him! He would never try to murder him without reason! But when he heard reports of his entire army laying completely unconscious in the training grounds, he knew that it had been a well-devised plan. General Kai had _let _all of those men in the castle. More men had attacked his entire infantry, somehow knocking them all out. Their plan was to strike Garmadon helpless while they tried to murder him.

A wicked smile painted itself across Garmadon's face. _But they failed._

The guards came when they heard the commotion in the throne room and drove them off. A few rebels had been injured, shown by the blood splatter on the polished floor, but none were killed. Had Garmadon had his way, he would have killed them all. But he was too busy recovering from both the shock and the injury Kai had inflicted.

"Excuse me, Lord Garmadon?" came a small voice.

The dark lord glared at the puny slave, eyes flashing with fury. "Why didn't you knock?" he growled.

The slave seemed to shrink in fear. "M-my deepest apologies, L-lord Garmadon," he stammered, bowing very low, "but I have v-very urgent n-news."

Garmadon slammed his fist hard onto his throne armrest. "Spit it out!"

Shaking, the servant bit his lip and said nervously, "Your s-son is g-gone."

"WHAT?!" Garmadon boomed, eyes twitching and a large vein bulging in his forehead. Taking a deep breath, he attempted unsuccessfully to calm his temper. "What in Ninjago happened?!"

"A g-guard reported him r-running off with the c-criminal, sir."

"BROOKSTONE!" Garmadon's throat stung from the screaming, but he didn't care. Cole Brookstone kidnapped his son, just as he was accused of ten years ago! Now, Garmadon knew that Brookstone _had_ to die. And as much as the tyrannical ruler hated to admit it, so did General Kai.

"W-we also found th-this in your son's r-room, Lord G-Garmadon," the slave stuttered, holding out what seemed like a roll of parchment. Garmadon snatched it from the weak man to see that it was a scroll. Curiosity made his hands slowly unroll the paper, seeing a cryptic writing scrawled across it. These symbols jogged a memory that had been long forgotten, until Garmadon's crimson eyes laid upon the writing. Many, many years ago, his father had been teaching him and his younger brother, Wu, the written language of Ninjago. Nowadays, the writing had changed to individual letters representing a sound, but back then each character represented a whole word. Garmadon scanned the scroll, trying to read the long lost language of Ninjago. "Let's see..." he muttered, thinking back almost one hundred years. "'On the Island of Darkness is the key to domination. The Lord of Over, no, _Overlord_, will be unleashed. The final battle will be decided.'" Garmadon scratched his chin. _What in Ninjago is an _Overlord_?_

* * *

Cole was sick of waking up in new places everyday. First it was Jay's place, then two nights in a row of Kai's. Anne was surely worrying herself half to death, and there was no way Cole could get in touch with her. Now he was going to be convicted of attempted murder and grand theft Prince Lloyd. He was going down any day now, but at least everyone else was going down with him. Stretching his limbs one by one, he stood up and walked to the weaponry room. It was so nice and quiet. Just outside, the first lights of day were filtering over the horizon, giving Cole a sense of relaxation the first time in days. He felt as if nothing in the world mattered. He was free.

Then, the events of the previous night rudely invaded his thoughts. Freedom would never happen. He was an escaped convict, possibly being hunted down that very moment. Everything he was doing for Ninjago would be all for not if he got caught. Everyone else would be too intimidated, too afraid to take on Garmadon as he had done. Garmadon would never perish, being the dictatorial king of Ninjago until his most unlikely demise. Freedom, like the infinite horizon, always eluded his grasp. It was a bitter fantasy, never to come true. Cole sighed miserably and sat on the dusty tiled floor, placing his head in his hands. Bird chirped and flew through the blue morning sky, freely. Their tweets sounded like laughter, mocking Cole with their independence. He felt his eyes steam up with unseen tears. He closed them, not allowing the tears to flow. Peace was a figment of his imagination.

"Hey, Cole. Are you alright?"

The man of question turned his head to see Jay, who was limping stiffly, favoring his injured foot. His blue eyes were bright and electrifying and hee wore a light-hearted smile, as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

As if they hadn't been a complete failure.

"I'm okay," Cole replied, eying Jay warily. His face was still very pale and his ankle was still a nauseating dark purple, yet he seemed as optimistic as always. "Are you sure you should be walking on your foot? It looks pretty bad."

Jay shrugged. "It's fine." He took a step towards Cole, wincing as his impaired foot touched the ground. "Okay, it hurts a little."

"Why don't you sit down?" Cole suggested. "You look dead on your feet."

Jay let out a laugh and hobbled awkwardly towards Cole. He sat down and asked, "Are you sure you're okay? You seem pretty ditstant."

Cole sighed, not daring to look into Jay's happy-go-lucky face. "Just mad that Garmadon's still alive, that's all."

To his surprise, Jay didn't reply immediately. He just sat there, staring at the rising sun and the beautiful colors its rays caused the sky to turn. "It was all my fault," he suddenly said. "I was so distracted that I tripped on the steps and did Garmadon knows what to my ankle. You came down to help me and left Kai all by himself with my group. I ruined it."

"No, Garmadon ruined it." Cole couldn't let Jay take the weight of their failure upon himself. He didn't ruin it. Tripping was only a human mistake. "Kai almost had him. The sword was above his neck when almost every guard in the castle came running in. We were outnumbered, so we had to retreat. It had to all have happened for a reason, right?"

"Sure, if you believe in destiny," Jay scoffed.

"I didn't, until Zane read that scroll last night." Cole remembered the night before, where the slave had read a scroll prophesising guardans of the light and destroying a darkness. Cole had believed it instantly, though he had loudly deemed it irrational. "My mom always told me as a kid that things never happen without reason," Cole said. "I think we failed for some greater purpose. Like we're the guardians. I don't know about you, but whenever I looked a the Prince last night, he seemed to be wearing golden armor, but it was replaced by his green robes in the blink of an eye. It was really weird."

Jay looked at Cole oddly. "You must have been tired, 'cause I didn't see anything like that. But…" The man hesitated, as if he didn't want to tell Cole what he was thinking, "…I don't know, really. Kai kinda hates me, but I feel like he's a brother, almost. Like I should trust him."

"I'm not sure what's going on, but it's something greater." Cole nodded.

_But what is it?_

**That's it for chapter 9! **

**So, I'm going on a cruise (yay!) for a week starting Aug. 11th! I won't be able to update 'cause I'll be on a ship in the middle of the Caribbean without WiFi or cell service. DX We're driving 20 hours to get to Miami Florida. (insert groan here) Other than that, it's gonna be awesome!**

**According to my story stats, there are 34 of you following this story. I need you _all_ to review so that by the time I get back from my trip I have 110+ reviews! What do you say? We can do this!**

**Oh yeah. Misako will be in the next chapter, I know you are all dying to figure out what will happen to her!**

**Review!**

**-Jay**


	10. Chapter 10: Escape

**Thanks for all reviews! 105 reviews... close!**

Misako sat on the dusty floor of her dungeon cell, doodling an image with her finger. To anyone else, it looked like random lines and circles, but in her eyes she saw her son's face. He was smiling, not a fear in the world, and his eyes were slanted in determination. The former queen of Ninjago felt her heart melt. He hadn't come for her this morning, which meant that he had left with the mysterious men. She was hoping that he would be with her until the very end, but she knew that he couldn't stay here after she was gone. Garmadon would take hold of the young boy and force him to do unthinkable things as his own slave. No matter what, Misako could not let her son go through that torture.

"Misako Garmadon," said the cold, hollow voice of a dungeon guard. Misako raised her head and fixed her gaze upon the man. He was tall with light skin and flat, dark hair. His eyes were empty, devoid of any light or emotion, regardless of hatred and a cruel wishing for others to suffer.

"Yes?" she replied softly, a slight tremor of fear plaguing her voice.

"Lord Garmadon would like to speak with you before your execution."

Misako nodded her head solemnly and watched as the guard used a large, copper key to open the cell door. He quickly tied her hands behind her back and roughly tugged her out of the small cell. Execution. The word rang through her mind like a resounding bell. Being queen for twelve years, Misako had seen many executions. Each time a man fell victim to the falling blade, she felt her heart break. Most crimes were not severe, such as lying or minor thievery, yet Garmadon was such an opportunist to kill that he couldn't resist. Now he was going to kil his wife, despite any relations they might have once had.

Misako was yanked, quite literally, out of her thoughts as the man pulled her out of the dungeons and up the multiple flights of stairs to her husband's throne room. Misako never saw the rationality of stairs, as it was easy for one to climb up and down. But she could not be the one to question Garmadon's father's wisdom. He was a great man, until he succumbed to an unknown sickness, leaving his eldest son, Garmadon, as king of all Ninjago. Just as her legs were staring to feel weary, Misako realized that they were at the very top of the staircases. The guard led her to the throne room, where Garmadon sat, quite flustered, on his throne of bones.

The dark figure motioned with his hand for the guard to leave the room The man bowed and quickly obliged. "How are you, Misako?" came Garmadon's deep, chilling voice.

"You're killing me today," Misako bit back, though not unkindly. "How do you think I am?"

Garmadon seemed ashamed at hearing his wife say that, though he did nothing that would suggest it. "Lloyd is missing," he growled, not skipping a beat to voice his concerns. "Last night, the criminal, Cole Brookstone, bombarded my palace with his Rebellion. With help from General Kai, they attempted to murder me in my own throne room. The guards came storming in and the Rebellion ran out and took Lloyd."

"They… took Lloyd?" Misako whispered, using her superior acting skills to fabricate a believable performance. She made her eyes water up, insincere tears falling down her rosy cheeks. "He's really gone?"

Garmadon averted his gaze, Misako's tears creating a smidgen of guilt deep inside of him. He resisted the temptation to open up and let his protective arms fall around her. She looked miserable. "I'm afraid so. He's been kidnapped for real this time."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Misako asked, a sort of urgency in her voice.

"Hunt down Brookstone and his accomplices," the dark lord replied. "They have kidnapped my only son and I need him back."

"How do you know he didn't leave willingly?" she questioned, trying her best not to arouse any suspicion he might hold towards her. When Garmadon didn't say anything in response, she continued, "Lloyd told me about the argument you two had. He was devastated that you yelled at him and was in tears." Garmadon was still silent, looking at his feet. Misako took a step forward and whispered as kindly as she could muster, "Don't you see? You broke his heart, Montgomery."

Garmadon stiffened at Misako calling him by his first name. She was the only one who dared address him by his overly long name, Montgomery. But for once, the tyrannical ruler was at a loss of words. What she had said could easily be true. Lloyd had seemed very upset after their argument two days ago. "Well, I…"

"I know that that little incident with that wretched all those years ago left you with evil running through your veins," Misako interrupted, glowing with determination, "but you can still have a heart towards your family. Your son needs father to look up to. If you had only been a bit nicer to him, he would consider you a great man."

Garmadon clenched his fists. "Enough, witch!" he nearly bellowed, all guilt suddenly fading from his person. "I am the king of Ninjago! Do not try to convince me that you are not guilty!" Softening his tone just a bit, he added, "What you say may be true, but you still lied to me about Lloyd."

"It was ten years ago!" Misako pleaded, this time making no effort to conceal her true objective. "Can't you let it go, Monty?"

"No." His answer came simple, without an explanation why he thought this or any actions of sympathy. To his pleasure, two guards rushed in and pulled his wife out of the throne room, the whole way her giving him a death glare with those glassy, blue eyes. Garmadon smiled. Today he was going to kill his wife. What could be more fun?

* * *

Jay's ankle hurt like heck. It burned as he stood, the melting sensation traveling up his leg, in turn making the entire limb sore. The whole foot was dark purple, a color that made Jay want to puke again. But he had to wear a smile on the outside, no matter how bad he felt on the inside. He didn't need everyone treating him differently just because he was stupid enough to trip on the stairs and break his ankle or something. He didn't need Nya to think lower of him because of his naïvety.

Oh, gosh. Nya.

_She probably thinks I'm weak, not to mention an idiot,_ Jay thought bitterly. Cole had said that it wasn't his fault, but Jay knew that wasn't true. Jay had totally ruined it.

"How are you guys?" came a soothing voice, accompanied by the sweet fragrance of freshly picked roses. Jay sighed, a thousand weights being lifted off of his shoulders. He looked to where Nya was entering the merchandise room and marveled at her perfect face, cupped by silky, ebony hair. She wore a red kimono decorated with pink cherry blossoms and golden trim. She looked absolutely amazing.

Nya sent an unsure glance at Jay. "Should you be out here? Your ankle looks pretty bad."

"That's what I told him," Cole said with an indignant roll of the eyes. "He said he's fine."

"Better let me look at it," Nya said. She kneeled down by Jay's outstretched legs. Jay could tell she had only barely touched his foot, yet he jumped. Nya gently fingered his ankle, making Jay bite his tongue to hold in the tears. She stood up and said, "It's only sprained, but pretty bad. I don't feel anything broken in there."

"Thanks, Nya," Jay sighed, a kooky grin appearing on his face. He saw the corners of her mouth twist upwards in a gorgeous smile. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Well…" Nya mused, looking to Cole for a moment, then to her feet. She gazed into Jay's blue eyes with her wonderful brown ones and added, "I think you should go home, get out of the danger, but I kinda wrecked your place, so you're staying here. I have to run the shop today, so you guys can help out again."

Cole shook his head. "Not me or Kai. We're the only ones who Garmadon actually identified, so people will be out for our heads. The others can help, though."

"Okay, then." Nya walked over to her counter, which held a small radio. She turned a few knobs until an announcer voice came in.

"Attention all Ninjago!" the male announcer shouted. "Prince Lloyd, who was found two days ago, has been kidnapped once again! Infamous criminal, Cole Brookstone, attacked the palace along with his Rebellion. In a bold move, he teamed up with General Kai Igneous and the unlikely duo attempted to murder Lord Garmadon. Right before they delivered the killing blow, castle guards rushed in and drove out the Rebellion. Igneous and Brookstone's current whereabouts are unknown. They have kidnapped the Prince. Lord Garmadon himself has decreed that the reward for Brookstone's capture has been raised to two pieces of gold, equivalent to two hundred pieces of silver. The turning in of Igneous is worth fifty pieces of silver, and any other suspected members of the Rebellion will be turned in for the same price."

"Two pieces of gold?" Cole gaped, placing his hands to his temples as if even imagining money of that much value hurt his head. "Gosh, that's a lot."

Jay couldn't help but agree. If he had that kind of money, he would be set for life. No more work, no more hardships. All would be peaceful. All he had to do was rat Cole out…

But that in turn would lead to Jay's own capture, then to Kai's, Zane's, and ultimately Nya's. Jay couldn't do that to any of them, not to mention to himself. It was a domino effect. If he was in prison, two pieces of gold wouldn't do much for him there. "You're safe with me," Jay promised, locking eyes with a still flabbergasted Cole. Cole grinned ever so slightly, symbolizing that Jay had finally gained his trust.

"Everyone's going to be searching for you." Nya shook her head. "I mean, I don't even own two pieces of gold after running this shop for five years! Garmadon must really want you."

Cole threw up his hands in exasperation. "I tried to kill him then kidnapped his son, remember?" He stood up and walked angrily back into the hallway, leaving Jay and Nya alone.

There was an awkward silence, during which Jay felt his cheeks flush to a bright pink. What should he say? What do you say to the girl of your dreams, the one you've been waiting for you whole life? Your entire futures together rode upon what you said. Jay followed his gut and blurted out, "Do you like blue?"

Nya looked surprised at the question, but replied with a pearly white smile and, "It's my favorite color."

Jay's eyes widened, a smirk spreading across his face. "Really? Mine too."

"Cool." Nya blushed and looked at her feet, openly aware that Jay was crushing on her. "So, what do you do for a living? I mean, before you were caught up in all this."

Jay hesitated, unsure if his unofficial occupation would impress her. "I, uh, invent things. I get requests from people in the village and I try to build them. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. I was currently improving my design on a pair of wings. The time I flew on them before, I ended up stranded in a tree. I was thinking some kind of steering mechanism, 'cause the only way I could really steer them was getting into a draft, and that didn't work out too well. I-" Jay bit his tongue, realizing that he was going on and on, and that Nya was probably bored out of her mind. She didn't care about stupid inventing!

"That's really neat," Nya commented sincerely. "I made my entire Samurai exo suit, so I know a thing or two about electronics. I'd really like to start doing mechanics for Ignacia, but we don't have another blacksmith. I guess I'll just stick to making swords."

"You're really good at it." Jay gazed around the small shop, his eyes once again laying upon a pair of perfectly crafted nunchucks. He still had his own golden ones, they were in Kai's bedroom, but he couldn't help but marvel at Nya's handiwork. "Who taught you?"

Nya's silence told Jay that he had asked a touchy question. Bad move. Quickly, he added, "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine." Although she said this, Jay could tell by how she looked at her feet that it wasn't fine. "My father started teaching Kai and I when Kai was twelve and I was ten. He ran the shop and we helped out a bit. But six years ago, when I was nineteen, Dad passed." Nya wiped her eyes, and continued, "Kai was never as good as Dad was, but he still helped me with the shop. He always seemed to have more of a fighting reflex. He started training himself to use a sword and a year later he just got up and left to find a profession elsewhere. He found Garmadon and proved his new allegiance by killing that defenseless woman. He left me all alone here, so I started working on my suit and I dubbed myself Samurai X. Garmadon took my brother away from me, and now he's gonna pay."

Jay wrapped his arm around Nya, and to his relief she didn't push him away. Tears slid silently down her face and she buried her face in Jay's shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise. She was seeking him for comfort! "I'm really sorry. No one should have to go through that."

"It was hard," she mumbled through Jay's shirt, "but I'm just glad that I have my brother back. I still miss Dad, though."

Jay nodded, full of understanding. "I know what it's like. Both my parents died in some sort of freak double heart attack eleven years ago. I was only thirteen, so it was super hard for me to move here and live by myself. No one wanted to hire a thirteen-year old, so I started my inventing business."

Nya was silent, and Jay could see that she was smiling. He was instantly relieved. He had done his job.

"What are you two doing?!"

Uh oh.

Kai.

Nya lifted her head, much to Jay's displeasure. Jay turned to see Kai, his face red with anger. He stormed over to Jay and hoisted him by his arm into a standing position roughly. "What did I tell you?" he growled.

"I, uh, I…" Jay stammered, searching desperately for an escape route before Kai pulverized him.

"Kai!" Nya scolded harshly, her face still stained with tears. "I was telling him about Dad."

The General's grip loosened and Jay pulled away from him, wincing as he leaned back on his wounded ankle. Kai had a mournful look on his face, now seeming to lose his furiosity-driven courage. "Sorry," he mumbled, hardly audible. "She does get pretty emotional when talking about Dad."

"You left her," Jay said accusingly. "She was twenty-years old and you left her to run the shop by herself."

Kai glared at him. "I couldn't stand this life. When I ordered to be taken to Garmadon, he said he appreciated my skill and confidence with a sword, so he enlisted me as General of his army."

"But you don't do that to-"

"It's fine, Jay," Nya interrupted softly, placing a hand on Jay's shoulder. "I know he's a jerk. No one can argue with that. But the past is the past. It forms us, makes us who we are. If Kai hadn't done that, we would still be running this shop together, and I wouldn't be Samurai X." With a slightly nervous look, she added, "You should probably go lay down. I don't want you to hurt your ankle anymore."

Jay nodded with reluctance and allowed Nya to help him walk back to the bedroom. On the way past the dining room, they saw Cole sitting by himself at the dinner table, tapping his fingers on it and humming to himself. "He must be calming down," Nya whispered as they slowly walked on. "He considers himself the leader. You saw how hard he took it that we failed last night."

"He's a really good one," Jay commented. "I would definitely follow him again."

Nya nodded and led Jay into the room. He climbed onto the plush bed, carefully avoiding Zane and Lloyd still asleep. Jay breathed a sigh of literal relief as the weight of his body was taken off his ankle. Nya's face was adorned with the prettiest of smiles as she said, "Thank you. I forgot to say that if Kai hadn't left me, I would have never met you." Her lips came closer to his face until they placed a gentle kiss upon Jay's cheek. Heat rushed up to his face, no doubt turning a deep shade of red. She rose up and walked out of the room as Jay's mouth fell open and one thought ran through his head.

_She kissed me!_

* * *

Any citizen of Ninjago was allowed to view the execution from a clearing in the Ninjago City community park. For some families, watching a bloody death was like a holiday. They attended, then celebrated the loss of one person. For others, it would be a warning towards children. "This is why we obey Lord Garmadon," mothers would tell their children. "We don't want to end up like that person." But for most, it was a gruesome event. Parents would quickly rush their children away, then nervously peek from afar. Men would gaze right over the top of their newspapers to see what was going on, then quickly bury their faces right back into it. Women all around would silently look to the skies and send their prayers to the victim's family and friends. If anyone attempted to free the accused, they would be confronted by a barricade of wicked Serpentine, who would kill the man on the spot, along with the convicted. Lord Garmadon oversaw it all from a throne fixated under the heavy shade of an oak tree. The executioner sat in the clear view of every passer, sharpening his exocutioning sickle, a shrill sound piercing everyone's ears. But Lord Garmadon loved it all. From the moment the accused's head was laid on the block to the very second it rolled lifeless on the grass, he was sitting there, smiling.

The news of the execution of Queen Misako spread through Ninjago like a wild-fire. Everyone started rumors about why she was to die. "She helped Cole Brookstone!" some would say. Others rumored, "She attacked him!" No one knew the true cause of conviction. But all knew that it would be a devastating and bloody death. So, naturally, a large crowd gathered that morning, anxious to see their queen beheaded.

* * *

After not living in Ninjago for ten years, Wu could honestly say that it looked very different. Ninjago City had definitely modernized, larger and shinier cars zooming on the roads and more people talking on cell phones. More trash littered the streets and a rotten, stinky odor polluted the air. Wu had gone into the city for brief periods of time to get living necessities, so he never had the time to notice the dramatic changes in his home country. Out in the Sea of Sand, there was nothing but sand and the faint outline of the city in the distance.

Wu should have gone to rescue Lloyd, but he didn't know how to put together a successful mission when it was one old man versus the entire army, guards, and Serpentine. It was very unwise and would most likely end up in both Wu and Lloyd's demise.

And then there was the issue of Misako. Shortly after Wu initially arrived in Ninjago, he had heard people chatting about the execution of Queen Misako. He knew immediately that he had to stay and somehow save both her and Lloyd. It was a risky mission, but he could not let his sister-in-law, a woman he loved, die by the hands if her own husband.

Judging by the buzz of the city, today was the day. All Wu had to do was follow a large cluster of people to the community park. A place meant for peace and tranquility was being used for death. He was pressed close to men soaked with sweat as the crowd traveled deeper into the trees until they reached a small clearing decorated with a single block. Wu's stomach lurched, as he recognized this as the chopping block. When he was still a prince in his father's palace, Wu had only seen a few executions. His father had saved death for only the cruelest of criminals, the rest only earning a stay in the dungeon. But Garmadon killed whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He was like the reincarnation of pure evil, all because of that snake many, many years ago.

Suddenly, emerging from the brush of trees were Serpentine, half-snake, half-human hybrids brandishing sharp javelins to keep away any that might want to save the convicted. Wu gripped his bamboo staff in his right hand. He might need it. After the snakes, Lord Garmadon came out and, avoiding any patches of sunlight peeking through the trees, took his place on his makeshift throne. Then came Misako.

Her hands were tied tightly behind her back and a silk bag was placed on her head. Wu could see gray hair sticking out and her very slender figure. She had certainly aged since he had seen her last, just as he had. The guards escorting Misako threw her roughly to the ground, making the crowd of citizens erupt in cheers. One guard kicked her roughly in the stomach, making Misako wither in pain. The crowd jeered in excitement, while Wu's heart could only go out for her. _Stay strong._

The same guard grabbed Misako by the back collar of her shirt and threw her head to the block face down. As the crowd was now silent in anticipation, Wu took this chance to call out, "Father would not want you to do this… _brother_."

The group gasped as a whole and Garmadon stood up. "What…?" he murmured, face masked with confusion. The realization then dawned upon him and he shouted, "WU!"

No one knew what to do, unsure who this "Wu" figure was. Wu shoved his way through the cluster of people towards the wall of Serpentine. They bared their teeth, but Wu only attacked with the staff. _Avoid the Hypnobrai's gaze, watch out for the Fangpyre'd bite, don't get caught in a squeeze with a Constrictai, and get out of spitting range of a Venomari._ Wu's father's words ran through his mind as he continued to send a rapid fire of kicks and bo staff swipes to the snakes. He punched a Fangpyre in the gut and whacked a Constrictai in the face. To finish off the rest of them, Wu pulled an instrument from the folds of his robes and gently blew into it, a gentle tune flowing out of the flute. The Serpentine fell to the floor, covering their ears. Once they were taken care of, Wu grabbed Misako by her arm and bolted into the trees of the park. Everyone seemed too shocked to do anything as Wu ran off with the prisoner who was about to get her head chopped off.

"What's happening?" Misako exclaimed, her head still covered by the bag.

"It's all right," Wu gasped, still running. "We're almost there."

Misako said no more and they continued to bound through the trees. Once the trees started to thin out, Wu placed fingers in his mouth and a high-pitched whistle sound flew through the air. A growl was heard, and Wu saw a large, four-headed beast heading his way. It flew through the skies, then landed on the ground right in front of the duo. He helped Misako climb aboard the dragon before they took off into the afternoon sky, their figures nothing but a mere silhouette.

**If you didn't catch that, Misako has been saved! If I had my way, she would have died. I hate Misako! But if I killed her I'm sure I would have gotten a bunch of hate from you guys. No author wants that.**

**Sooooo, thanks for all your reviews! Remember to leave your comments, questions, concerns, anger, flames, annoyance, praise, or just thoughts. REVIEW! The more reviews I get, the faster I update!**


	11. Chapter 11: Return

**Thanks for all reviews! Sorry it's been a while. I got grounded and school just started for me. I'm already bombarded with homework.**

**After many chapters of waiting, we get something from Zane! I've kind of been neglecting him because I haven't found any situations that match his odd personality. I find it hard writing for him.**

**I should probably stop talking and get on with the story.**

_Yes, Lord Garmadon. _Those three words ruled his life. They were etched into his being like some sort of program. For five years he had served under Garmadon. Much to his displeasure, he couldn't remember any aspect of his life before he became a slave. It all seemed like a puzzle piece that was missing. His mind had seen and recorded everything since the very first day Garmadon started pushing him around. Why could he not remember before that time? He remembered that day. Garmadon had shouted at him to do obnoxious things for him while he lounged on his throne all day. He had been gracious enough to give him a small, closet-sized bedroom with an adequate futon to use as a bed. He remembered the look in Garmadon's red eyes. They were void of anything pure, any light. They were filled with hatred. In all his experience, red had always been the color of one thing: evil.

Zane awoke to find light filtering through the window straight into his eyes. He squinted and stood up groggily. For a moment, he had no idea where he was. He had been laying on a shabby blanket next to a large bed. This was definitely not the palace. Slowly, the ambush reentered his mind. He looked around the bedroom to see a man - Jay, he recalled - laying on the bed, clearly conscious. On the floor was a figure with long, blonde hair. The names of his companions ran through his mind. He recognized the boy as Prince Lloyd. He seemed to be very tired, still in a deep sleep. Zane turned his attention back to Jay and said politely, "Good morning, Jay."

"Hey, Zane." Jay's face wore a red blush, a large smile seemingly plastered on it. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?"

Zane looked confused. "Hear what?"

Jay shook his head. "Nothing." Though by the giddy tone of Jay's voice Zane could tell that it was most certainly not nothing. "The others are out in the shop, I think."

"Thank you." Zane walked out of the room to where Jay had said. Nya was deep in conversation with her brother and Cole was experimentally swinging around a sword. Judging by the slight pink hue of Nya's cheeks, something had gone on between her and Jay. Upon noticing Zane's sudden appearance, she stopped talking to her brother and said, "Good. You're awake."

Kai crossed his arms and grunted, "You're worth fifty pieces of silver now."

Zane raised his eyebrows in surprise, but refused to allow any other signs that might relay his anxiety show. That made sense. Lord Garmadon must be furious for attempting to kill him and kidnapping his son.

"I'm worth two pieces of gold," Cole grumbled, setting the weapon down with great distaste. He gritted his teeth angrily. "I can't go out in public at all. Too risky."

"And I still have to run this place so people don't get suspicious," Nya said. "You're welcome to help me out, Zane. Not that it'll ever get too busy."

Zane nodded. "I would be delighted to."

"Great." Nya switched the sign on the shop from closed to open. Cole and Kai went further inside the shop, so they could not be seen, and almost immediately a man rushed in the store. Nya's eyes widened at the man and the hastiness he brought with him. "Uh, hello again, Uncle Ron."

The older man had a crazed look in his dark eyes and he grabbed Nya by the shoulders. "Where is your brother?" he asked in a low voice. "Did you hear? He attacked the palace last night and tried to kill Lord Garmadon! If I turn him in, I get fifty pieces of silver!"

Nya gently pushed her uncle away from her and smoothly replied, "He left last night. He didn't say where he was going or what he was doing, but he hasn't returned. Even if I knew where he was, I would tell you first."

Nya's uncle tried to nod understandingly, though the motion did not work with a frown on his face. "Sorry, Nya. I just thought that you might know, seeing as he was just here yesterday."

Nya smiled softly and embraced her uncle. "You'll have to search somewhere else." And with that, the old man left.

"That was very close," Zane remarked.

Nya nodded and said, "I'll probably get a lot of people asking me where he is today. I am the last one who saw him. This might be one of the busiest days in the shop's history! I-"

_Boom!_

Zane and Nya froze, eyes darting to outside the shop. Resting there was the legs of an immense creature, its hide gleaming white scales. It had four heads, each one with different colored eyes, roared menacingly. To further worsen the situation, milky wings protruded from the beast's body. There was only one thing this creature could be. Sitting on its back, not at all scared, were a man and a woman who looked familiar to Zane. Zane and Nya exchanged worried glances and ran into the bedroom where the mysterious people could not see them. Jay sat up as soon as he saw the two's panicked expressions and his eyes widened. Zane somehow noted in the rush that the injured man had his gaze solely rested on Nya. "What happened?" he demanded.

"There is a dragon outside," Zane stated, his voice somehow unwavering in the present situation.

Cole, who was sitting on the end of the bed, jumped up as soon as the word 'dragon' came out of Zane's mouth. "D-dragons aren't f-from this world, Zane," he said, almost so quickly that it wasn't coherent. Zane saw the alarmed look in Cole's dark eyes, almost to the point of him being terrified. "You must have seen it wrong. It could have been a couple of cows or something that you mistook for a dragon."

"I saw what Zane did. Both of us could not have mistaken cattle for a giant lizard with wings," Nya said. "And my father used to tell Kai and I stories about the dragons." Her eyes flashed momentarily to Jay, then back to Cole. "They were creatures who could cross through many worlds as they pleased."

Cole ran his hand through his long, black hair frantically. "So there really _is _a dragon out there?!"

Kai, who had been sitting back this whole time, smirked and cruelly taunted, "You're not scared, are you Cole?"

"No!" Cole nearly shouted. "There ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of!"

"Except for dragons," Zane muttered, causing Jay to burst out laughing.

"That was a good one!"

Suddenly, the Prince bolted awake, a blood-curdling scream coming from his mouth. Nya immediately rushed to Lloyd's side and stroked the boy's back. His emerald-green eyes were darting wildly around the room. He started breathing raggedly, tears running down his face. "She... she..." he stammered, crying his eyes out.

"Prince Lloyd, please calm down," Nya pleaded. "What happened?"

* * *

Lloyd stood there, unable to move. _He _stood there, laughing evilly. Lloyd's mother stood there, shaking in fear. Lloyd was shoved out of the way by his father, him falling to the ground. He saw his father screaming at him, though the words sounded like he was saying them underwater. Although he could barely understand, he felt like dozens of knives were stabbing him in the chest. Some words came through, but these only made Lloyd cry.

_"Imbecile!"_

Lloyd watched in agony as the scene suddenly shifted, now to a tranquil park. Regardless of the somewhat comforting setting, it hardly calmed Lloyd's nerves. Now Garmadon was standing with Misako, next to a man Lloyd didn't recognize. Out of the folds of his cloak he pulled a silver scythe, it glistening eerily in the sunlight, that for some reason suddenly dimmed. Lloyd wanted to rush forward and start brutally attacking Garmadon and the executioner, but for some reason he could not move. Garmadon snarled once again.

_"Weak!" _

Now Misako was on the ground. Garmadon himself had her pinned to the ground under the weight of his foot. She struggled until the scythe was laid lightly on the back of her neck. Lloyd felt his throat straining to scream, but no sound came out. He was trapped under and invisible force. The scythe was raised once again and fell down, this time much harder and faster. Lloyd felt tear streaming down his face, unheard screams still coming out of his mouth. Garmadon stared at his son once more.

_"Stupid Boy!"_

Lloyd screamed, this time hearing the shrill sound echo through the room. His eyes shot open, yet he did not see his mother's cold and lifeless body. Instead he saw another woman standing over him. He felt her rubbing his back soothingly, but he couldn't stop crying. She really was gone, although he could not see it presently. "She... she..." he stuttered, unable to voice his true concerns to these people surrounding him.

The woman looked concerned, then whispered, "Prince Lloyd, please calm down. What happened?"

"She's... gone," Lloyd murmured, hardly audible. His mind was racing. Everyone had been up but him, so it was probably the morning. His mom's execution was supposed to be first thing in the morning. Lloyd had to face the facts. The hard, cold facts. His mom was dead. He was with a group of people that he didn't know, besides Jay and Cole. His only family left was his dad, and Lloyd decided that he hated him. Lloyd had willingly left his uncle out of anger. Looking back, he realized that all Wu had ever done was to protect him. He didn't want him to know about Garmadon for a reason. Once Lloyd was introduced into the palace, he felt safe when near his mother. Now she was gone, too.

There was the sound of a ringing bell, and everyone froze. Lloyd stiffened. He had no idea what was going on, but the sudden tension in the room served as a warning for him to be quiet. He heard two pairs of footsteps echo through the hall into the bedroom. Two people were in the house, and they most likely weren't expected guests.

They obviously weren't trying to stay incognito, because one intruder shouted, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

Lloyd's heart nearly stopped. No, it couldn't be. She was dead. There was no way that it could be her. But it sounded exactly like her. "No way," he breathed. In a wild flash of what may have seemed like a bout of madness, Lloyd jumped up and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Someone might have tried to grab him, but Lloyd couldn't tell for sure in the rush. Suddenly, the hallway opened up and Lloyd saw them. It was his mother standing right next to his uncle. He bolted forward and hugged her, tears spilling out of his eyes. She was really here! "You're alive!" Lloyd sobbed, crying into her shoulder.

"Oh, Lloyd," Misako whispered. She ran her fingers through his hair and returned his embrace gladly. "I'm so glad we've found you."

"Prince Lloyd!"

Lloyd quickly whipped around to see Cole and the one with gravity-defying hair wearing shocked looks. Misako wrapped her arms protectively around her son, but Lloyd said, "No, mom! That's Cole! He's the one who helped me out of the palace last night!"

The man with the spiky-hair nudged Cole and kneeled down, Cole immediately following. "Queen Misako," he said in reverence.

Misako chuckled lightly. "Please rise up, Kai. I am no longer queen."

The duo stood up slowly. "What?" Kai gasped.

This time Wu stepped forward and replied, "My brother tried to kill her this morning. She would not be here had it not been for me."

Cole's eyes widened. "Your brother? Can someone explain what's happening?"

"I apologize for all the trouble, Cole," Misako started. "Right after Lloyd was born, I had to give him to my step-brother, Wu. Garmadon would have used Lloyd for evil. I had to blame the kidnapping on the Rebellion so that Garmadon didn't know I gave Lloyd away. Now, ten years later, Garmadon found Lloyd. He knows now that I lied to him and he wanted to kill me for acts of treason."

"So it's your fault my life's horrible now?" Cole shook his head. "Thanks a lot."

"Queen, I mean, Misako," Kai corrected himself, "why are you here?"

Wu gripped his bamboo walking staff tightly. "We need you to save Ninjago."

**Yay! Another crappy ending by me! I apologize for the super late chapter. Please don't hate me and review!**


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